On February 29, 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine announced suspicion of Metropolitan of Sumy and Akhtyr Yevlogy (Hutchenko), the administrator of the Sumy diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to law enforcers, the hierarch “incited religious hatred”. About it reports the official website of the Department.

“The security service collected evidence of illegal activities of the head of the Sumy diocese of the UOC (MP). Metropolitan is involved in inciting inter-confessional hatred in Ukraine. According to the investigation, the cleric insulted religious feelings of believers of other confessions during his sermons and in videos on his pages on social networks. Thus, his actions formed preconditions for inter-confessional hostility in our state. The expertise initiated by the Security Service confirmed the facts of illegal actions of the defendant. On the basis of the obtained evidence, he is reported on suspicion under part 1 of article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of equal rights of citizens depending on their religious beliefs)”, – said on the website of the SSU.

We would like to note that the Security Service of Ukraine regularly holds “events” in the religious sphere, bringing exclusively representatives of the UOC to justice as pressure on the Church. We recently reported that the SSU handed a fourth suspicion to Metropolitan Theodosiy (Snigiryov) of Cherkasy diocese of the UOC. The reason was the statements of the ruler about the seizure of the monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cherkassy and the expulsion and beating of church ministers. The SSU claims that they are fakes.