The invaders were blessed to seize Izium: Metropolitan Ivanov of the UOC (MP) has been declared a suspect.

The Security Service and the National Police have announced a posthumous suspicion against the former metropolitan of the Izium and Kupiansk diocese of the UOC (MP) - Oleg Ivanov (Elisey).

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the SBU, during the occupation of the Kharkiv region, Ivanov was one of the first to publicly support the occupiers and blessed them for their war against Ukraine. In particular, he blessed them for the capture of the city of Izium.

Specifically, he imposed his personal pro-Kremlin views on his parishioners during sermons and persuaded them to support the occupiers. The cleric organized meetings of the diocese's clergy, where he urged other parishioners to promote Moscow's narratives during church liturgies.

After the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the Kharkiv region in September 2022, Ivanov fled to Russia along with the Russian occupiers. There, he regularly visits the residence of the Moscow patriarch Kirill and participates in his ceremonies.

Based on the collected evidence, law enforcement officials have announced a posthumous suspicion against him under part 1 of article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification, recognition of the legality, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).

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), who is suspected of cooperating with Russian special services. According to the investigation, the man provided the aggressor with information about the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the region.