According to the materials of the Security Service of Ukraine, the manager of one of the dioceses of the UOC in the Vinnitsa region received a message of suspicion. This is reported by the official website of the SBU.

According to the conclusions of the examination initiated by the SBU, “the metropolitan committed deliberate actions aimed at inciting religious hatred and insulting the feelings of citizens in connection with their religious beliefs.”

Thus, the metropolitan received a message of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the equality of citizens depending on their race, nationality, regional affiliation, religious beliefs, disability and other characteristics).

At the moment, the whole complex of investigative and operational measures is being carried out to investigate and conduct examinations on other facts of the hierarch’s activities.

The events were conducted by employees of the SBU Department in Vinnitsa region under the procedural leadership of the Vinnitsa regional prosecutor’s office.

The SBU website also added a note to this message that “according to Part 1 of Art. 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until his guilt is proven legally and established by a guilty verdict of the court.”