The former rector of the church of the Izium Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) was accused of justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).

The investigation established that the man organized a procession to the baptism of Kyivan Rus, during which he “blessed the Russian occupiers and consecrated their columns of military equipment in the Kupiansk district.”

“He ordered his accomplices to record the entire “process” on camera for further publication on Kremlin media resources,” the SSU reported.

According to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the procession took place in Dvorichna.

After the Kharkiv Oblast liberation, the suspect fled to Russia with his family. According to the SSU, he is currently the abbot of the Orthodox parish of the John the Forerunner Church of the Tver and Kashin Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Investigative and operative actions are ongoing to establish the crime’s circumstances and bring the culprits to justice. The man faces correctional labor, arrest, or imprisonment for up to three years.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service notified three Russian servicemen in absentia of being suspected of raping a resident of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast.

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