Metropolitan Feodosiy (Snigiriev) of the Cherkasy and Kaniv UOC MP, the court chose a preventive measure - house arrest for 60 days.

Details from the courtroom were reported by "Suspilne".

Feodosia is suspected of inciting inter-religious enmity and justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.

Metropolitans will also wear an electronic bracelet.

"The electronic bracelet, which will be used to monitor his location, will be worn at the nearest police station in the Kyiv region. After all, the village where the priest lives is located in the Kyiv region," the publication noted.

According to the law enforcement officers, the decision on house arrest is justified, because the hierarch can put pressure on witnesses or flee to the Russian Federation.

"This also proves that immediately after the search at his home, in the Kyiv region, Snegiriov re-registered the house, the plot of land, and the Toyota Land Cruiser and Peugeot cars."

Scandal with the website of the Cherkasy Diocese

According to the prosecutor, Snigiryov, who headed the Cherkasy Diocese after the death of the pro-Ukrainian Metropolitan Sophronius, announced his decision to close the diocese's official website and create a new one based on the Russian Orthodox Church's template.

Russian software was used during its development.

As a result, destructive content from pro-Kremlin Internet resources was rebroadcast.

Among them are "patriarchia.ru" and "pravoslavie.ru", on which propagandists of the Russian Orthodox Church justify the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.

In particular, the prosecutor talked about an article that described how the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church "blessed" the Cossacks who participated in the war against Ukraine.

In addition, there were materials about priests killed in the "SVO zone" and about the meeting of the State Duma of Russia.

"And what, how will Putin win"

"Smilyan priests approached Snigiriev about condemning the aggression of the Russian Federation. He refused. And during the conversation (according to the witnesses interrogated in the case) he said: 'What if Putin wins?'" the investigator noted.

In court, Feodosiy spoke in Russian, explaining that "representatives of churches from different countries who do not fully understand the Ukrainian language" are interested in his case.

He denied his guilt.

The metropolitan also admitted that he visited the territory occupied by Russia in 2017, namely the city of Horlivka.

The hierarch called the court's decision "an attack on the church" and "a political case."

Relations with Russia

Feodosii (real name Denys) Snigiriev was born in Kyiv, but lived in the Russian Federation for a long time.

It should be noted that from 1994 to 1998 Snigiriev studied at the Kaluga Theological School (RF).

In 1999, he entered the Moscow Theological Academy.

In 2000, he was transferred to serve in Kaluga, where he held high positions in the diocesan administration.

However, in 2001 he decided to return to Ukraine.

According to UOC MP priest Andriy Pinchuk, who actively criticizes the leadership of his Church, Metropolitan Theodosius is one of the most pro-Russian hierarchs of the UOC MP.

"Metropolitan of Cherkasy Theodosius is the one who, a few months ago, at the meeting of the UOC synod, demanded the establishment of contacts and the resumption of communication with ... [Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill] Gundyaev. And he is also the one who, with the help of the Russian special services, received funds for his loyalty and lobbying Moscow's interests," Pinchuk claims.

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