SBU Charges 14 Russian Orthodox Metropolitans for Aiding Occupation of Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine has served notice of suspicion to 14 high-ranking metropolitans of the Russian Orthodox Church who facilitated the Kremlin's occupation of Ukraine, particularly in the Kherson region and Crimea.

This was reported by the SBU press center.

According to the investigation, in 2022-2024, these hierarchs were members of the so-called "Holy Synod" of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is fully controlled by the Russian authorities. Under the leadership of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev ), they were actively involved in the seizure of church property in the temporarily occupied territories, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk regions and Crimea.

The investigation paid particular attention to the actions of the metropolitans who were behind the forced "transfer" of the Kherson and Dzhankoy dioceses to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. After that, Moscow-controlled bishops were appointed to the seized structures. They publicly justified Russia's aggression, blessed the Russian military and promoted Kremlin propaganda.

Based on the evidence gathered, all 14 defendants were notified in absentia of suspicion of aiding and abetting in changing the state border of Ukraine (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Their actions have already led to serious consequences, including attempts to legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territories through church structures.

Measures are currently being taken to bring the perpetrators to justice for crimes against the state integrity of Ukraine.

Among the suspects are metropolitans and archbishops from different regions of the Russian Federation, including:

• Alexander Snigur (Artemiy), Metropolitan of Khabarovsk and Priamursk;
• Mikhail Kondratyev (Methodius), Bishop of Kamenskoye and Kamyshilov;
• Vitaly Yermakov (Ambrose), Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin;
• Leonid Gorbachev, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa;
• Andrey Malakhanov, Archbishop of Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka;
• Peter Mansurov (Peter), Bishop of Kalachinsk and Muromtsevo;
• Nikolai Tserpitsky (Leo), Metropolitan of Novgorod and Old Russia;
• Yuri Epifanov (Arseny), Metropolitan of Lipetsk and Zadonsk;
• Mikhail Nakonechny (Kirill), Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan;
• Alexei Krivenko (Nikolai), Bishop of North Baikal and Sosnovo-Ozerskoye;
• Valery Golubev (Ilya), Archbishop of Anadyr and Chukotka;
• Yan Kaygorodtsev (Hilarion), Bishop of Kineshchem and Palekh;
• Ilya Perov (Tarasiy), Bishop of North Sea and Umba;
• Alexander Taranov (Arkady), Archbishop of Rovenkov and Sverdlovsk.

Ірина Глухова