SBU names UOC priest’s wife a suspect in Cherkasy region
The SBU accused Matushka Kateryna Prykotenko of “spreading enemy propaganda” through correspondence with parishioners.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has formally notified Kateryna Prykotenko, the wife of the rector of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Ascension Church in the village of Stebliv, Cherkasy region, that she is suspected of committing a crime. This was reported by Dozor on the Pershyi Kozatskyi platform.
The search of the home of Fr. Mykola Prykotenko and the delivery of legal documents to his wife took place a month and a half ago, but the security service only made the information public now. Kateryna Prykotenko is suspected of violating Article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code for allegedly “spreading enemy propaganda” in private correspondence with parishioners in 2024.
The search of the priest’s family home lasted from early morning until late evening, with SBU and police officers even searching the garden for a phone. In the end, law enforcement officers seized an empty box from an old cell phone and an icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.
According to Dozor, the criminal prosecution of the priest’s wife is linked to attempts by OCU supporters to seize the UOC’s Ascension Church. The activists allegedly carried out an unlawful reregistration of the parish but failed to find active supporters of their organization in the village. Meanwhile, Archpriest Mykola Prykotenko enjoys considerable respect among local residents and continues to defend the church.
As the UOJ previously reported, the SBU had initiated efforts to block a website documenting the persecution of the UOC.
