Metropolitan Pavlo released from custody on bail - lawyer

The former abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Metropolitan Pavlo (Petro Lebid), has been released from custody on UAH 33.3 million bail.

His lawyer, Mykyta Chekman, said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"Today, on August 7, 2023, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was finally released from custody," he said.

The lawyer recalled that earlier, the Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv had changed the measure of restraint for Pavlo from round-the-clock house arrest to detention with the possibility of posting UAH 33.3 million bail.

Chekman said that bank details had been published on the website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where anyone could join and pay the bail for Pavlo.

"Today's event is the joint merit of the parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who proved that nothing is impossible. About 1,000 people posted the bail," he said.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) earlier served Pavlo with a notice of suspicion in justifying and denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine (Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), as well as violating the equality of citizens depending on their race, nationality and religion (Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

On April 1, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv placed Metropolitan Pavlo under round-the-clock house arrest. In May, his house arrest was extended for a further 30 days.

On July 14, the Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv chose a measure of restraint for the former abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Metropolitan Pavlo, in the form of detention with the possibility of putting up bail of over UAH 33 million.