The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has charged the rector of the church of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the Zhytomyr region with inciting religious hatred.
"The rector of the temple has been charged <...> with deliberate actions aimed at inciting national and religious enmity, humiliating national honor, dignity and the way of feeling of citizens in connection with their religious beliefs, committed by an official and by prior agreement of a group of persons," the Telegram channel of the special service says.
According to the investigation, the rector allegedly distributed leaflets and pamphlets of a pro-Russian nature among priests and parishioners of the religious community of the Zhytomyr region. The SBU claims that "propaganda materials" were revealed during searches.
The Ukrainian authorities are pursuing an open course to ban the UOC. On behalf of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the government has prepared and submitted to Parliament a bill aimed at banning the canonical church. Local authorities deprive the church of the right to lease land for temples. Also, with the encouragement of the authorities, schismatics from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine forcibly seize churches of the UOC, attack priests. The clergy are accused of treason and other crimes, sanctions are imposed, at least 13 hierarchs of the UOC are deprived of Ukrainian citizenship.
According to the materials of TASS