Metropolitan Hilarion recounts details of his detention
The metropolitan reconstructed the chronology of events and shared his experience of being held in custody.
On May 27, 2026, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) recorded a video address in which he reconstructed the events of his detention and two-day imprisonment. The story began on a highway, when the hierarch’s car, in which he was sitting in the passenger seat, effectively drove into an ambush.
Ambush on the highway and search without witnesses
“We saw two police cars that were obviously waiting for us,” the hierarch recalled. “One pulled in behind us, the other drove ahead. A sign lit up: ‘Follow me.’” The police forced the car to drive about eight kilometers to the nearest gas station.
After the stop, while one officer photographed documents on the hood, the “main” police officer began searching the trunk. “Our videographer was standing some distance away and could not see everything that was happening, because the officer’s back blocked the view,” the hierarch said. Law enforcement officers did not video-record the search.
After some time, the metropolitan was called over to the car and shown a “find”: three small packets and a jar containing white powder. The substances were allegedly discovered behind the trunk lining, in the compartment where the fire extinguisher is kept. When the officer asked what it was, the hierarch answered plainly: “This is the first time I have seen it.”
Anonymous tip-off and detention
The hierarch’s lawyer, Michał Pasowski, immediately pointed to procedural violations: the absence of video recording and the officer’s handling of the search without gloves. It later emerged that the detention had been prompted by an anonymous letter. In it, unknown persons described, down to the minute, the time of the hierarch’s departure from the church, his route, and the specific place in the car where “these substances” would be found.
“To slip such substances into a person’s pocket, or bag, or suitcase, or car, and then call and say where they are – in general, that costs nothing. It can happen to anyone,” the metropolitan stressed.
That evening, the hierarch and his videographer were handcuffed and taken to a detention facility. The metropolitan described the conditions there as “not very comfortable.” The entire next day was spent in interrogations, after which the detainees were transferred to a prison and placed in separate cells.
“Unforgettable communion with God” and release
Metropolitan Hilarion spent the morning of the third day in his cell. He described those five or six hours as a time of “utterly unforgettable communion with God.” “I managed to say many important things to Him and to hear many important things from Him. Such communion could hardly have taken place in ordinary circumstances,” he shared.
Around noon, the cell door opened. The hierarch was led to a table with his confiscated belongings and told: “That’s it, you are free.” The prosecutor decided to release the detainees without charges, bail, or any guarantees.
“I could not believe that it would all end so quickly, and I received it all as a miracle,” the hierarch admitted. “I remembered the story from the Book of Acts, when the Apostle Peter was in prison... how an angel appeared in the night, the chains fell away, and the doors opened.”
Metropolitan Hilarion expressed deep gratitude to all those who helped, prayed, and supported him, emphasizing that he “felt this support throughout the entire time.” The investigation will continue, since it remains to be established whose fingerprints are on the packets. “But I can state one thing: neither my fingerprints nor those of our videographer will be there... And I hope the investigation will establish who planted them in the car.”
The metropolitan noted that his time in custody taught him to appreciate simple things anew: the possibility of washing with hot water or using a toothbrush. “Every experience we go through is important so that we may appreciate what is happening around us and thank God for how He cares for us and how He leads us out of the most difficult situations,” the hierarch concluded.
As reported earlier by the UOJ, Czech authorities released Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of the ROC. Earlier, he had been arrested by Czech authorities and accused of transporting prohibited substances in the trunk of a car.
