The security service detained the rector of one of the temples om the Kharkiv diocese of the UOC (MP), who is suspected of aiding and abetting the enemy.
According to the investigation, at the request of Russian handlers, the defendant handed them sensitive information about the Defense Forces across the region. In particular, he tried to establish the approximate number of personnel and available weapons at Ukrainian checkpoints near Kharkiv.
The archpriest would also track the routes of equipment transfer towards the front line, the SBU reports.
The cleric sent intelligence to the aggressor via one of the messenger chats in the form of marks on Google maps and their detailed description.
According to available information, the invaders planned to use that intelligence to prepare missile and bomb strikes on the manpower and equipment clusters of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
According to the investigation, the 43-year-old archpriest started performing Russian intelligence tasks in October 2024. He lived in Russia from 2009 to 2018.
Later, he moved to Kharkiv, where he worked as an IT specialist in the diocesan administration of the UOC (MP) before being appointed rector of the local church.
During the raid, evidence of cooperation with the inavders was seized from the detainee. Russian rubles and Kremlin awards were also found in his residence.
The perpetrator is in custody, facing eight years in prison.
