SBU Searches in Churches and Monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Autumn 2022 – Winter 2023
In October 2022, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a mass campaign of searches and interrogations in diocesan administrations, churches, and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
Taking advantage of the powers granted to security services under martial law, operatives described these investigative actions as “counterintelligence (security) measures.”
This wording allowed representatives of law enforcement agencies to enter private property without a court order authorizing searches. In effect, from October 2022 to January 2023, SBU officers conducted approximately one hundred unlawful searches in UOC prayer facilities.
Security service operatives interrogated clergy (including the use of polygraph tests), examined religious literature, and seized technical equipment.
The campaign of mass searches became part of a broader state campaign of persecution against UOC clergy and faithful.
October 11, 2022 SBU officers carried out searches at the premises of the Tulchyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The SBU press service stated that the investigative actions were conducted within the framework of a criminal case opened under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. At the same time, the SBU clarified that no suspicion had been brought at that moment against the former Metropolitan of Tulchyn and Bratslav, Ionafan.
October 31, 2022 SBU officers carried out searches at the premises of the Kirovohrad and Oleksandria Dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The investigative actions of the security service operatives were conducted within the framework of a criminal case against Metropolitan Ioasaf, the ruling hierarch of the Kirovohrad Diocese.
November 22, 2022 SBU officers conducted searches at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The operation was carried out jointly with the National Police and the National Guard of Ukraine.
For several hours, SBU operatives searched the monastery premises, describing what was happening as “counterintelligence (security) measures.”
More than 350 church buildings and 850 individuals were inspected.
More than 50 people underwent in-depth counterintelligence questioning, including the use of polygraph tests.
SBU officers claimed that during the searches they allegedly discovered “pro-Russian literature.” Moreover, operatives of the security service seized monastery funds, announcing the discovery of 2 million hryvnias, more than 100,000 US dollars, and several thousand old Russian rubles.
November 22, 2022 SBU officers carried out unlawful searches in UOC monasteries in the Rivne Region.
In particular, security service operatives conducted searches at the Holy Trinity Korets Convent of the UOC and the UOC Convent dedicated to the Volyn Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Sernyky.
November 22, 2022 SBU officers conducted searches at the Archangel Michael Zvirynets Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kyiv.
According to eyewitnesses, security cordons were set up around the monastery. The law enforcement officers did not interrupt the service, but checked documents of the monastics and parishioners.
November 25, 2022SBU officers carried out unlawful searches at the premises of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Consistory (diocesan administration) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Security service operatives stormed the consistory early in the morning, fully equipped and armed.
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All members of the clergy residing in the consistory were driven out of their cells without being allowed to dress. The clergy were deliberately kept in a degrading position and photographed.
The searches began without the presence of the diocesan lawyer. For five hours, the lawyer and believers were not allowed onto the territory of the consistory. The clergy inside the premises had no contact with the outside world.
The SBU described church literature as “warehouses with wholesale batches of pro-Kremlin literature that glorifies the aggressor state and calls for support of the occupiers.” Under this definition, children’s Bibles, primers, and “Pastoral Conversations with Children” were included.
November 28, 2022 SBU officers carried out unlawful searches at the Pochaiv Theological Seminary and the Ivano-Frankivsk Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Following the searches, the SBU announced the “discovery of literature” in which the existence of the Ukrainian people was allegedly denied.
In addition, operatives claimed they had found “brochures and books of xenophobic and hateful content containing offensive fabrications about other nationalities and religions.”
Later, the SBU classified virtually all spiritual polemical literature under this definition.
On the territory of the Ivano-Frankivsk Diocese of the UOC, samples of the symbolism of the “Great Don Cossack Host” were allegedly found. The SBU announced the discovery of patches of an illegal military formation.
The Ivano-Frankivsk Diocese of the UOC denied any connection to these items.
November 30, 2022 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches at one of the monasteries of the Mukachevo Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Early in the morning, SBU operatives carried out searches at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Convent of the UOC in the village of Drachyno, Zakarpattia Region.
Security service officers described their actions as “security measures.”
More than 20 people underwent in-depth counterintelligence questioning, including polygraph tests.
SBU officers again described church and spiritual literature as “books of xenophobic content with offensive fabrications about other nationalities and religions.”
During the operations, the SBU also claimed to have found texts of spiritual hymns, which operatives described as “pro-Russian songs glorifying the Russian land and calling for the awakening of Mother Rus.”
December 2, 2022 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches in a number of dioceses and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In particular, searches were carried out at the St. Nicholas Men’s Monastery of the Khust Diocese in Zakarpattia; the St. Anastasia Stauropegial Convent of the UOC in Zhytomyr; the skete of the St. Anastasia Stauropegial Convent in Zhytomyr Region; the skete of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God of the Chopovychi Athonite Icon of the Mother of God Stauropegial Convent in Zhytomyr Region; the Rivne Diocese of the UOC; the Horodok Convent of the UOC; the St. George Metochion of the UOC; the Church of All Saints of Volhynia of the UOC; the Resurrection Church of the UOC; and the Dormition Church of the UOC in Rivne Region.
SBU officers deliberately presented the investigative actions as so-called “security measures” that do not require a court order.
December 5, 2022 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches at a monastery and diocesan administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Poltava Region.
Security service operatives searched the Mhar Transfiguration Men’s Monastery of the Poltava and Myrhorod Diocese of the UOC and the diocesan administration of the Kremenchuk and Lubny Diocese of the UOC.
December 7, 2022 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches at monasteries and diocesan administrations in the Cherkasy, Volyn, and Kherson Regions.
In particular, searches were conducted at the Exaltation of the Cross Chartoryisk Men’s Monastery of the Volyn Diocese of the UOC; the St. Nicholas Milets Men’s Monastery of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC; the Dormition Cathedral of the UOC in Kherson; the administration of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC; St. Michael’s Cathedral of the UOC in Cherkasy; the Sunday school and library of the Cherkasy Diocese; the administration of the Uman–Zvenyhorod Diocese; the St. George Convent of the UOC; the St. Andrew Hierarchal Metochion of the UOC in Cherkasy; the Holy Trinity Motronyn Convent of the UOC in Cherkasy Region; the Krasnohirsk Holy Protection Convent of the UOC in Cherkasy Region; the St. Sophronius Church of the UOC in Cherkasy; and the Kaniv Dormition Cathedral of the UOC.
December 9, 2022 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches at UOC churches in Kyiv and Kherson Regions.
In particular, searches were carried out at the Intercession Cathedral of the UOC in Boryspil; the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral of the UOC in Kherson; and the St. Nicholas Hermitage of the UOC in Kyiv Region.
Security service operatives searched premises and interrogated clergy.
December 10, 2022 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches at the premises and churches of the Kharkiv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Presenting the searches as so-called “security measures,” security service operatives searched the Kharkiv Diocese of the UOC and the Church of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga of the UOC.
SBU officers interrogated and screened clergy, examined literature, and seized diocesan funds.
December 14, 2022 SBU officers conducted some of the largest unlawful searches in nine dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In particular, searches were carried out at the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral of the UOC in Uzhhorod; the Intercession Church of the UOC in Uzhhorod; the St. John the Theologian Kreshchatyk Men’s Monastery of the UOC in Chernivtsi Region; the Dormition Men’s Monastery of the UOC in Chernivtsi Region; the Dormition Men’s Monastery of the UOC in Rivne Region; the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God Convent at the Yuzefin tract in Rivne Region; the Holy Dormition Zymne Stauropegial Convent of the UOC in Rivne Region; the Monastery of Saints Constantine and Helen of the UOC in Mykolaiv Region; the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Romny; the Archdeacon Stephen Church of the UOC in Romny; the Holy Trinity Church of the UOC in Lviv; the Church of St. Amphilochius of Pochaiv of the UOC in Mostyska; the Protection of the Mother of God Church of the UOC in Boryslav; the Nativity of Christ Cathedral of the UOC in Korosten; the Transfiguration Cathedral of the UOC in Ovruch; the Ovruch–Korosten Diocese of the UOC; the St. Basil Cathedral of the UOC in Ovruch; the St. Basil Convent of the UOC in Ovruch; and the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the UOC in the urban-type settlement of Chornobaivka.
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January 6, 2023 SBU officers conducted unlawful searches in the Kherson, Kirovohrad, Rivne, and Dnipropetrovsk Regions.
In particular, searches were carried out at the premises of the Kirovohrad Diocese of the UOC; the Church of St. John of Kronstadt of the UOC in Kherson; the Holy Trinity Mezhyrich Monastery of the UOC in Rivne Region; and the premises of the Dnipropetrovsk Diocese of the UOC.
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