The Security Service of Ukraine has announced the suspicion of 14 high-ranking officials of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for their activities that contributed to the seizure of Ukrainian churches and support for Russian aggression. This occurred on April 22, when the agency published the results of an investigation establishing the involvement of representatives of the Russian clergy in attempts to change the borders of Ukrainian territory and expand the influence of the Kremlin regime.
This is reported by Київ24
According to the SBU, the suspects were part of the Russia-controlled Holy Synod of the ROC and actively facilitated the seizure of church communities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. They spread Kremlin influence, appointed Moscow-controlled bishops, and made decisions regarding the annexation of Ukrainian church structures to the Russian church. This includes, in particular, the Dzhankoy, Berdyansk, Rovenky, and Kherson dioceses, where corresponding bishops were appointed under Russian control.
Key Suspects and Their Roles
Among the suspects are high-ranking officials, including:
- Alexander Snigur – Metropolitan of Khabarovsk and Priamurye Artemiy
- Mikhail Kondratiev – Bishop of Kamyansk and Kamyshyliv Mefodiy
- Vitaliy Yermakov – Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin Amvrosiy
- Leonid Gorbachov – Patriarchal Exarch of Africa
- Andrey Malakhanov – Archbishop of Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka
- Peter Mansurov – Bishop of Kalachinsk and Muromtsev
- Mykola Tserpytsky – Metropolitan of Novgorod and Old Russian
- Yuri Epifanov – Metropolitan of Lipetsk and Zadonsk
- Mikhail Nakonechny – Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan
- Alexey Krivenko – Bishop of North Baikal and Sosnovo-Ozersk
- Valery Golubev – Archbishop of Anadyr and Chukotka
- Yan Kaygorodtsev – Bishop of Kineshma and Paleh
- Illya Perov – Bishop of the Northern Sea and Umb
- Alexander Taranov – Archbishop of Rovenky and Sverdlovsk
The SBU investigation proves that since the beginning of the full-scale war, these clerics, under the leadership of Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Church, have actively contributed to the seizure of religious communities in the occupied Ukrainian territories. They made decisions regarding the annexation of Ukrainian churches to Russia, appointed Moscow-controlled bishops, and facilitated the spread of Kremlin influence over Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
“To this end, the clerics secured decisions from the Moscow Synod regarding the ‘annexation’ of the Dzhankoy, Berdyansk, Rovenky, and Kherson dioceses to the ROC and appointed Moscow-controlled bishops there”
They have been charged in absentia with aiding in the commission of crimes related to violations of Ukraine’s state borders, as well as committing other serious offenses under the law. In December 2024, the SBU had already announced suspicion against four more Russian metropolitans who facilitated the seizure of church property in the occupied territories, including Kherson, Crimea, and areas of Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions.
Additionally, in December 2023, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Church (Vladimir Gundyayev) was put on the wanted list in a case concerning encroachments on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.