The Kiev Pechersk Court has not advanced the indictment concerning the alleged provocation by Archimandrite Zacharias, a cleric from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, who performed a song described as pro-Russian. This update was reported by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on its official channel.
The court’s ruling indicates that the charges fail to present a complete procedural statement, which makes it impossible to bring the clergyman to trial at this stage. In addition, the court declined to determine the specifics of how the supposed crime was committed by the priest.
The decision was framed as in line with Article 6, Part 3, of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to a fair trial and due process. The court’s assessment suggested that proceeding without a clearer indictment would risk violating those protections.
Earlier, Ukrainian security authorities announced that a criminal case had been opened regarding Archimandrite Zacharias’s performance of a hymn at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which was described as praising Russia. The hymn included lines such as, “The ringing floats, floats over Russia, Mother Russian awakens.” The Security Service of Ukraine filed the case under a statute addressing the justification, legal recognition, and denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, seeking to address perceived propaganda linked to the conflict.
Prior to these developments, officials from the Prosecutor General’s Office engaged with Church leadership in Cherkasy, with Metropolitan Theodosius (Snigirev) of the Cherkasy and Kanev Diocese facing accusations related to the defense or endorsement of the armed actions of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The evolving legal and ecclesiastical conversations reflect ongoing tension between state authorities and church bodies over how religious expressions intersect with national security and public discourse during a time of conflict.