The metropolitan makes statements justifying or denying the actions of the aggressor nation. A forensic linguistic examination confirmed this.
The SBU has collected a solid evidence base about the involvement of the former rector of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Pavel (Peter Lebed) in inciting religious hatred, justifying and denying Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. The intercepts of his conversations were made public, according to the website of the special services on Saturday, April 1.
“It was established that Lebed, in his public speeches, repeatedly insulted the religious feelings of Ukrainians, humiliated the views of believers of other faiths and tried to develop hostile attitudes towards them, and also made statements justifying or denying the actions of the aggressor. country. This was also confirmed by forensic linguistics initiated by the expertise of the Security Service,” the statement said.
The head of the SBU, Vasily Malyuk, said that “the law and responsibility for its violation are the same for everyone, and a cassock is not always a guarantee of pure intentions.”
“Today, the enemy is trying to use the atmosphere of the church to promote propaganda and divide Ukrainian society. But we will not give him the slightest chance! The SBU systematically blocks all attempts by the Russian special services that aim to use their agents to harm the interests and security of Ukraine,” he said.
Based on the collected evidence, Lebed was told the suspicion under the articles:
-
violation of the equality of citizens depending on their race, national, regional affiliation, religious beliefs (part 1 of article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
-
justification, rejection of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants in the head code of Ukraine (part 1 of article 436-2).
Searches are conducted in places of residence and temporary stay of the person involved.
The SBU recalled that in 2022 it initiated complex counterintelligence measures (more than 40) in the environment of the UOC church to stop the destructive activities of the pro-Russian clergy. 61 criminal proceedings were initiated against 61 clergymen. In total, the courts have handed down seven sentences against individual clerics who sided with the enemy, including two of them who were used in place of our military personnel.
According to the materials of the special service, sanctions were imposed on 17 UOC functionaries, and almost 250 clerics were banned from entering Ukraine.
Ukrainian citizenship was also terminated for 19 clergymen of the UOC, citizens of the aggressor country, forced return to the country of origin was initiated for the clergy of the church, two citizens of Russia.
The SBU emphasized that in their activities they follow the principle of impartiality in the activities of any religion and respect the right of every citizen to freedom of opinion and religion, as defined by the Constitution of Ukraine.
Earlier, the media reported that law enforcement officials had raised suspicion against Metropolitan Pavel. Video from the scene appeared on social networks.
Remember that for two days the commission of the Ministry of Culture is not allowed in the area of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The department contacted the police.
The previous day, it became known that the UOC-MP was sued for blocking access to the Lavra.
news Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel Athletistic
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.