In the dispute over a well-known orthodox monastery in Ukraine, investigations are being carried out into its abbot. Ukraine’s internal intelligence agency SBU told Metropolitan Pavel on Saturday that he was suspected of justifying Russian aggression against the country, which would amount to a criminal offense. Pavel, the abbot of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, has defied the authorities’ order to evacuate the complex. He recently threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with damnation.
At a court hearing in Kiev on Saturday, the metropolitan dismissed the SBU’s accusation that he condoned the Russian invasion. He described the allegations against him as politically motivated.
SBU agents searched his residence, prosecutors asked the court to place Pavel under house arrest while the investigation is ongoing. The hearing was finally adjourned to Monday because Pawel was feeling unwell.
The monks at the Pecherska Lavra monastery belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has been accused of having ties to Russia. The dispute over the facility is part of a larger religious conflict that has developed alongside the war.
The Ukrainian government is cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for its historical connection to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, supports Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church says it is loyal to Ukraine and has condemned the invasion from the start. The Church has declared its independence from Moscow.
However, Ukrainian security authorities claim that some church representatives continue to maintain close ties with Moscow. Numerous holy places were searched, after which photos of rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Moscow Patriarch were published.