Ukrainian Security Service searched the residence of Metropolitan Pavlo, accused of inciting religious hatred
On 1 April, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officially confirmed that it had sent a notice of suspect status to Metropolitan Pavlo of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), former abbot of the famous Pechersk Lavra in Kiev, and had searched his residence.
The SBU said in a Telegram message that it had gathered "reasonable evidence of the involvement of Pavlo, former abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in inciting religious hatred, justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine" and denying war crimes carried out by the Russian military in Ukraine.
"In particular, it was established that in his public speeches [Pavlo] repeatedly insulted the religious feelings of Ukrainians, humiliated the views of believers of other religions and tried to incite hostile attitudes towards them, while making statements that justified or denied the actions of the aggressor country," the statement said.
The SBU confirmed sending Pavlo the notice of suspect status under two articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code - inciting inter-religious hatred, as well as justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine.
"Investigations are currently being conducted at the places of residence and temporary residence of the person involved. Measures to unmask the crime have been carried out under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office," the SBU reported.
The SBU did not provide information about Pavlo's alleged summoning for investigation or his alleged placement under house arrest, as reported by some publications.
This development comes as UOC members refused to leave Lavra Pecersk by 29 March, as ordered by the Ukrainian authorities.
Pavlo told the faithful on March 29 that the UOC would not leave until the lawsuit filed last week to stop the eviction was heard.
The 11th-century monastery and UNESCO World Heritage site, also known as the Cave Monastery, is owned by the Ukrainian government, and the agency overseeing the property notified the UOC earlier this month that it was terminating the lease as of March 29.
However, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Oleksi Danilov, said on 29 March that force would not be used to evict UOC representatives, despite the monks' refusal to leave the historic site. Speaking on Ukrainian television, Danilov said that although no eviction will take place, the monastery must be handed over to the Ukrainian government.
