Prosecutors of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office have notified a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of suspicion in absentia. He is accused of justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began in 2014 (Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

This concerns the Metropolitan of Horlivka and Sloviansk - a hierarch who conducts his religious activities in the temporarily occupied Horlivka, controlled by Russian troops. Supporting the narratives of Kremlin propagandists, he gave an interview to a film crew from one of the Russian television channels in May 2024. During the conversation with the host, the priest justified the actions of the invaders.

He has been declared wanted. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 8 years with or without confiscation of property.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.