FSB agents conducting information sabotage against Ukraine to stand trial
FSB agents who carried out information sabotage operations against Ukraine under the guise of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) will face trial.
This information was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to Ukrinform.
The SBU completed the pretrial investigation regarding members of a criminal organization conducting these information operations on behalf of Russia's FSB (Federal Security Service). Among the suspects is the head of a UOC-MP church in Kyiv, who was reportedly part of the FSB’s network.
Case materials reveal that this clergyman coordinated three associates — self-proclaimed ‘political experts’ in Kyiv — who promoted pro-Kremlin narratives on a large scale. Their content aimed to justify Russia’s war on Ukraine and incite interfaith discord within Ukraine.
All four suspects were detained by the SBU agents in March, and their cases have now been forwarded to court. They face potential life sentences with confiscation of property.
The investigation identified that these accused individuals were part of one of the largest FSB networks operating in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. Thanks to rapid action by the SBU, this hostile cell was neutralized at the early stages of its activities against Ukraine.
Furthermore, over ten other participants in this FSB network remain under investigation; they are currently believed to be hiding abroad.
The main suspect reportedly oversaw the distribution of anti-Ukrainian content through controlled Telegram and YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and official websites of various UOC-MP dioceses. Immediately after the release of these materials, Russian central TV channels and online outlets amplified them, spreading misinformation about Ukraine. This operation aimed to discredit Ukraine internationally, particularly in the eyes of Western partners.
Based on the collected evidence, the detainees face multiple charges under the Ukrainian Criminal Code, including:
Earlier, the SBU filed in absentia charges against a UOC-MP priest from Zhytomyr region who allegedly denied the Russian invasion and blamed Ukrainians for the war.