The archimandrite of the UOC-MP who blessed the "annexation" of Kherson to Russia has been condemned for treason.

The archimandrite of the UOC MP has blessed the "joining" of Kherson to the Russian Federation. He has been condemned for treason.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine with a link to the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the SBU, this concerns the former head of the Kherson diocese of the UOC MP, Alexei, who is currently hiding in Crimea.

Investigators found that after the regional center was captured, he began cooperating with the occupiers and the local gauleiter Saldo. In particular, the cleric regularly invited him to the church for pro-Kremlin speeches before the faithful.

During services, the archimandrite also blessed the holding of a pseudo-referendum by the RF regarding the "joining" of the Kherson region to Russia. He personally addressed Moscow Patriarch Kirill, requesting that the local cathedral be included in the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church.

For this, the clergyman received seized real estate in the center of Kherson from the Russians and was invited to the Kremlin to participate in the "ceremony of inclusion" of the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine into the RF.

When Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson, the cleric fled with the Russian invaders first to the left bank of the region and then to Crimea.

Based on the evidence provided by the Security Service, the court found the offender guilty on two counts of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Part 2 of Article 111 (treason committed under martial law);
• Part 1 of Article 111-2 (aiding the aggressor state).

Comprehensive measures are ongoing to hold him accountable for the crimes committed against our state. Based on the materials from the Security Service, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for treason.

Earlier, RBK-Ukraine reported that the Security Service of Ukraine exposed the rector of one of the churches in the Kharkiv diocese of the UOC (MP), suspected of collaborating with Russian special services. According to the investigation, the man provided the aggressor with information about the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the region.