Another court hearing held in Cherkasy in Metropolitan Theodosiy case

Court hearing in the сase of Metropolitan Theodosiy on June 12, 2025. Photo: Vycherpno

On June 12, 2025, the Sosnivskyi District Court of Cherkasy held another hearing in the ongoing case against Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv. According to the outlet VyCHErnpno, the court continued to examine data extracted from a computer seized from the hierarch during a search.

Prosecutor Vadym Kolomiiets claimed that the investigation uncovered a conversation between the Metropolitan and one of the witnesses, allegedly discussing editorial matters related to the website of the Cherkasy Eparchy. According to the prosecutor, the communication took place via Signal, Viber, and Messenger and pertained to the UOC website’s content.

Defense attorney Volodymyr Yudin countered that investigators had no warrant to access the witness's private messages. The prosecutor responded that the information was discovered during the lawful search and that the witness voluntarily provided their password and phone number.

Additionally, the prosecution stated that during the search, correspondence was found between the Russian-language version of the Cherkasy eparchy website and two Russian phone numbers.

Addressing the court, Metropolitan Theodosiy remarked:

“A publication by the mother of a fallen soldier was posted on the website. She was expressing her feelings about the seizure of a church. If needed, she will testify herself. Is sending a message to a Russian number now considered a crime?”

As further evidence, the prosecution presented browser bookmarks linking to websites of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“The computer user has login credentials for the site cerkov.ru, indicating that they are not just a regular user, but someone with administrative access. Similar access was also found for sites like pravoslavnoe-hristianstvo.ru and setprikhod.ru,” stated Prosecutor Kolomiiets.

However, the defense once again pointed to the lack of direct evidence.

“From what we’ve heard, it’s clear that someone with access did these things. But it’s all speculation that this person could have administered the mentioned websites. Not a single publication confirms any criminal offense,” the defense attorney asserted.

The next court session in this case is scheduled for June 24, 2025.

As a reminder, on March 18, 2025, the Sosnivskyi District Court of Cherkasy changed the hierarch’s measure of restraint from house arrest to personal recognizance.

The legal proceedings against Metropolitan Theodosiy (Snihiriov) have been ongoing for two years. Over this time, five separate charges have been brought against him, two of which were merged into a single case. The first charge was announced by the SBU on February 20, 2023.

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