SBU issues notice of suspicion to ROC protodeacon

The SBU has issued a notice of suspicion to ROC deacon Serafim Dubanov. Photo: Dubanov's Facebook page

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has issued a notice of suspicion to Archdeacon Serafim Dubanov of the Russian Orthodox Church, leader of the Russian Format choir. The cleric is accused of financing the Russian military and providing ideological support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

According to investigators, Dubanov has been regularly collecting and delivering military equipment to Russian forces fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2022. The SBU claims he visited military positions in the Luhansk region, where he supplied anti-drone rifles, quadcopters, communications equipment, military uniforms, and batteries for radio systems.

The cleric is also accused of organizing performances by the Russian Format choir to boost troop morale and of engaging in propaganda activities on social media aimed at justifying war crimes.

Based on the evidence collected, the SBU classified the alleged offenses under Part 3 of Article 110-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which concerns financing activities intended to forcibly alter Ukraine’s borders or seize state power.

According to the SBU, Dubanov also signed a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense and serves as an “assistant commander for work with believers” in one of the Russian military brigades.

As the UOJ previously reported, the SBU issued a notice of suspicion in absentia to a Russian Orthodox Church metropolitan.

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