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Reçu aujourd’hui — 13 août 2025
✇Euromaidan Press

Ukraine security service arrests Orthodox priest spying for Russian intelligence. He had Russian passport, Kalashnikov ammunition, and knives

Par :Vira Kravchuk
13 août 2025 à 19:50

Security Service of Ukraine arrests Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest and mobilized soldier who spied for Russian intelligence.

A Ukrainian Orthodox priest was running spies for Moscow. Right from his pulpit in Zaporizhzhia, a city close to the front line in southern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian propaganda has strategically infiltrated segments of the US, particularly influencing some Christian Republicans, telling them that Ukraine “persecutes” Orthodox churches. Moscow knows many Americans don’t understand the difference between Ukrainian churches and Russian-controlled ones, so they exploit that confusion. However, in reality, Ukraine’s recent laws and actions aim to protect religious freedom by restricting Russian-affiliated religious organizations that are seen as conduits of Russian state influence and espionage amid the ongoing war.

The The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that the network was run by an abbot from a Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) parish who used his religious position to identify and recruit pro-Russian sympathizers. The priest used Sunday sermons to scout for recruits, justifying Russia’s invasion to identify sympathizers in his congregation.

How did Ukrainian counterintelligence find him? They caught a Russian spotter operating in the city first. Under interrogation, he gave up the priest. This led to surveillance of the priest’s activities and the discovery of the broader network.

The cleric had recruited a 41-year-old Ukrainian soldier deployed to a local base. The man was feeding Moscow detailed intelligence about Ukrainian positions, troop numbers, and equipment along the Zaporizhzhia front lines. He photographed classified documents showing new Armed Forces deployments and reported on his own battalion’s activities.

Security Service of Ukraine arrests Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest and mobilized soldier who spied for Russian intelligence in Ukraine. Photo: SBU

But the network went higher. Both the priest and soldier answered to a handler from Russia’s 316th reconnaissance center—part of the GRU military intelligence service. Ukrainian investigators identified this controller as a former Ukrainian police officer who fled to occupied territory and switched sides.

The evidence was everywhere. During raids, the SBU found phones and computers packed with incriminating communications. In the priest’s possession: a Russian passport, Kalashnikov ammunition, and knives.

Why did the priest risk everything? The SBU says he used his religious position systematically, weaving pro-Russian propaganda into sermons before approaching potential recruits privately.

Both men now face five criminal charges, including high treason during martial law. The most serious carry potential life sentences.

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