UOC cleric arrested in Kharkiv on charges of spying for Russia

Photo: UOC priest in court. Source: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office

The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office has approved and submitted to court an indictment against a 50-year-old priest accused of transmitting state secret information to a foreign country (Part 1, Article 114 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), according to the Prosecutor's Office.

According to the investigation, the rector of one of the churches of the Kharkiv Eparchy of the UOC, a Russian citizen, established contact with a representative of the Russian intelligence service and received instructions to collect data on the movement of military equipment and personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) via railway.

Allegedly, he involved an acquaintance, an employee of "Ukrzaliznytsia" (Ukrainian Railways), who had access to an automated database. According to investigators, the railway worker provided information on train routes and departure times to the priest, who then sent it to his Russian handler via Google Maps.

Both suspects have been detained. The priest is in custody and will be tried in the Ordzhonikidze District Court of Kharkiv. He faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The case against the railway employee has also been submitted to court, with charges under Part 1, Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Prosecutor's Office accused members of the Union of Orthodox Journalists under Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, "High Treason", interpreting their publication of news on the website as grounds for the charge. This article carries a penalty of life imprisonment.

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