Ukraine: SBU: 11 UOC representatives sentenced by courts this year

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war, the Security Service of Ukraine has opened over 180 criminal cases against clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church formerly affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate. According to a response from the SBU to a request from LIGA.net, thirty-eight individuals have already received actual court sentences. Among those under investigation are 23 archbishops.

In 2024, eleven convictions were issued in various regions of Ukraine against representatives of the UOC. The charges they faced included:

Actions aimed at violently changing or overthrowing the constitutional order or seizing state power
Manufacturing and distributing communist or Nazi symbols, or propaganda of totalitarian regimes
Justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and aiding Russia
Violating the equality of citizens based on religious beliefs, nationality, and other convictions
Treason and collaboration
Intentionally causing minor bodily harm

In 2025, the courts handed down sentences to eleven more representatives of the UOC, who were found guilty of similar offenses under the Criminal Code. The SBU emphasized its commitment to impartiality towards all religious denominations while respecting every citizen's right to freedom of worldview and religion. However, they highlighted that Russia has long used the church as a tool of hybrid warfare to promote the "Russian world."

SBU Chairman Vasyl Malyuk has repeatedly stated that the service is not targeting the church itself. He insists that if someone in a cassock and with a censer engages in criminal activities, they will face consequences. "Belonging to any denomination is neither a mitigating nor an aggravating circumstance. Every person must be held accountable for their crimes, regardless of their rank or status," he said in an interview.

The SBU regularly reports on the exposure of priests working for the enemy. On August 12, the service announced the detention of two priests from the Moscow Patriarchate in Odesa, who are suspected of justifying Russian war crimes. On August 13, it was revealed that a priest of the UOC-MP in Zaporizhia had recruited a conscript and coordinated efforts for the Russians. On September 12, law enforcement officials announced the arrest of a church rector who was spying for Russia on military activities in the Sumy region. (Quelle: www.risu.ua, 6. Oktober 2025)