SBU raids Moscow Patriarchate’s Nativity of Christ Church in Ivano-Frankivsk

The New Voice of Ukraine
·2 min read
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SBU conducts events on the territory of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk
SBU conducts events on the territory of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk

The raid is being conducted jointly with the National Police and the National Guard as part of the agency’s campaign to counter the subversive activities of Russian special services in Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine's SBU probing into Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra incident after controversial footage

In a comment to public broadcaster Suspilne, the SBU confirmed that the inspection is taking place on the territory of the Church of the Nativity of Christ and inside the building, which is on Dovzhenko Street in Ivano-Frankivsk.

Law enforcement officers, along with representatives of the church are inspecting the territory and premises of the diocese "to identify items prohibited for circulation,” the SBU said.

They are also checking people for their possible involvement in illegal activities to the detriment of the state, the security service said.

Read also: Ukraine’s SBU seizes pro-Russian books, cash, Soviet passports amid raid on Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

It said all of its actions are being carried out under current legislation in order to:

  • investigate allegations of the intention to use the diocese as a center of the "Russian world";

  • prevent the use of the UOC premises for hiding Russian citizens, storing prohibited items, etc;

  • protect the population from provocations and terrorist acts.

On Nov. 25, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted counterintelligence activities at the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). In the process, they found manuals from Moscow, as well as Russian citizenship documents and certificates.

A similar check was conducted in the monasteries of the Moscow Patriarchate in Rivne Oblast.

The SBU explained that these measures were taken as part of a systematic work "to counter the subversive activities of Russian special services in Ukraine."

Read also: Kyiv Pechersk Lavra head denies congregation prayed for Russia at church service

According to outlet LB.ua, during searches in the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the UOC (MP), the SBU found its secretary in bed with a boy from the local choir. The journalists also published a photo showing Archimandrite Nikita with a boy in his underwear.

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