Marta Hychko19:48, 14.12.22

All seized materials have been sent for examination for further procedural actions.

The Security Service of Ukraine completed counter-intelligence measures at the UOC-MP facilities in Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, Rivne, Volyn, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Lviv, Zhytomyr and Kherson regions. A lot of symbols of the USSR and the occupying country were found.

According to the SBU press service , Russian passports, St. George’s ribbons, symbols of the banned OPZZH party and Cyril’s “methodology” for spreading enemy propaganda through believers were found on the territory of dioceses in the specified regions.

In addition, warehouses with pro-Kremlin literature were discovered, including the works of the ideologue of racism Ivan Ilyin. In these publications, representatives of the Russian Federation deny the existence of the Ukrainian people, their language and culture, and also question Ukrainian statehood.

In particular, photos of hidden Russian documents “on ensuring cooperation with the military commissariats of the Russian Federation” were found in the diocese of Lviv Region. At the same time, the flag of the so-called “Republic of Podkarpatska Rus” with the text of the hymn of the “Subcarpathian Rusyns” was located on the territory of the churches in the Zakarpattia region, and the local priest in his sermons called people who celebrate Christmas on December 25 “atheists-Satanists”.

The SBU noted that a novice with a Russian passport and contacts in the Russian Federation was exposed on the territory of one of the monasteries of the Rivne region. He is currently being checked for possible involvement in intelligence and subversive activities for the benefit of the special services of the aggressor country.

A clergyman with a party ticket of the Communist Party of the former USSR was discovered in the Rome diocese. Currently, all seized materials have been sent for examination for further procedural actions.

Searches in the churches of the UOC MP

Since the end of November, the SBU has been conducting searches of UOC MP churches. During the searches,  propagandist literature denying Ukraine as a state,  medals  for the “liberation of Crimea”, Russian passports and  symbols of the  “L\DPR” were found.

During one of the searches, security forces found the secretary of the Chernivtsi Diocese of the UOC MP Mykyta  with a naked underage boy .

On December 9, the rector of the Pochaiv Theological Seminary of the  UOC MP was informed of suspicion  of anti-Ukrainian activities.

On December 12, by the decision of the National Security Council, sanctions were imposed  against seven representatives of the UOC MP.

(C)UNIAN 2022