Priest of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate blesses Russian army during siege of Kharkiv Oblast, then flees

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) uncovered Oleksandr Svyrydov, former abbot of one of the temples of the Izium diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), who was blessing the Russian military during the siege of Kharkiv Oblast. After its liberation he fled to Russia. Source: SSU, source of Ukrainska Pravda in law enforcement

Quote: "During the period of the temporary occupation of parts of Kharkiv Oblast, the archpriest organised a staged church march dedicated to the Baptism Day of Kyivan Rus, in which he tried to involve locals. According to the reports of the SSU counter-intelligence, during the 'event' he blessed the Russian occupiers and columns of their military equipment in the Kupiansk district."

Details: He ordered to shoot the whole "process" on camera in order to then post it on Kremlin-aligned media resources. This way, the Russians were trying to imitate "support" for them from local believers in Kharkiv Oblast.

The Ukrainska Pravda source reports that this was Oleksandr Svyrydov, archpriest of the Izium Diocese of UOC-MP, aged 63.

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When Kharkiv Oblast was liberated, he fled to Russia together with his family. There he was appointed an abbot of the Orthodox parish in the Church of John the Forerunner of the Tver and Kashin Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

The investigators of the SSU opened a criminal case against Svyrydov under Art.

436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification, recognizing as lawful, denial of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, the glorification of its participants).

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