22 priests of the Moscow Patriarchate found guilty in Ukraine in two years

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian war, the Security Service of Ukraine has opened more than 180 criminal proceedings against clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. 38 of them have already received actual court sentences, the SBU reported in response to a request LIGA.net.

Among the clergymen under investigation are 23 bishops.

In 2024, 11 guilty verdicts were handed down in different regions of Ukraine against representatives of the UOC (MP). They were charged under various articles:

→ in actions aimed at the violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or the seizure of state power;

→ in the production and distribution of communist or Nazi symbols, or propaganda of totalitarian regimes;

→ in justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and aiding and abetting Russia;

→ in violation of the equality of citizens based on religious beliefs, nationality and other convictions;

→ in high treason and collaboration;

→ in causing intentional light bodily harm.

In 2025, the court sentenced 11 more representatives of the UOC (MP). They were found guilty under similar articles of the Criminal Code.

The SBU emphasized that it adheres to the principle of impartiality to any religious denomination and respects the right of every citizen to freedom of worldview and religion. But they emphasized that Russia has been using the church as a tool of hybrid warfare for many years to spread the "Russian world.".

The head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk has repeatedly noted that the service does not fight the church, but if a person in a cassock and with a censer commits crimes, there is no indulgence for him.

"Belonging to any confession is neither a mitigating nor an aggravating circumstance. Any person must be held accountable for his or her crime, regardless of rank and status," he said in an interview.

• The SBU regularly informs about the exposure of priests working for the enemy. For example, on August 12, the Service reported the detention in Odesa of two priests of the Moscow Patriarchate, who are suspected of justifying Russian war crimes .
• On August 13, it became known that in Zaporizhzhia, a priest of the UOC-MP recruited a mobilized and coordinated work for the Russians.
• On September 12, law enforcement officers announced the detention of the rector of the church, who spied for Russia on the military in Sumy region.