Russia has demanded the immediate release of a senior Orthodox cleric jailed in Kyiv on suspicion of fueling religious hatred and justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, per Reuters.
A court in Kyiv ordered pre-trial detention for Metropolitan Pavlo on Friday, a senior member in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who had reportedly been under house arrest since April. The cleric’s bail was apparently set at $900,000, meaning he could stay in pretrial for a month.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that “we demand strict compliance by the Kyiv regime with its international legal obligations,” adding that Pavlo was suffering from a serious illness and needed proper medical care.
She referred to Ukraine’s current actions toward the senior church figure as “yet another manifestation of political arbitrariness and lawlessness.”
While the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has previously had ties with Moscow, has claimed that it cut ties with Russia, many of its churches have been searched and dozens of clergy have faced charges.
Ukraine’s SBU security service reportedly advised Pavlo that he would be facing new allegations in connection with a media interview he did, where he allegedly claimed that Ukraine was not a sovereign state.
The report also noted that Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, appealed to Pope Francis, the head of the UN, and other religious and political figures to show support for the cleric detained in Ukraine.
Kirill said: "I urge you to pay attention to the ongoing persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine and to take all possible measures to protect Metropolitan Pavlo ... from lawless persecution.”
The recent development highlights the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia. BNN reported that “these tensions pose a significant threat to the already fragile relationship between the two neighboring countries.”
