The Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office announced that suspicions have been raised in absentia against Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea, known in secular life as Georgy Shevkunov. Ukrainian authorities accuse him of supporting Russian armed aggression and justifying the actions of Russian forces.
According to the SBU, Shevkunov supported the full-scale invasion of Ukraine from the very beginning and called for the assistance of Russian armed forces. The Ukrainian special services also claim that the metropolitan participated in public appearances in which he justified the shelling of Ukrainian cities and called for the continuation of the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
„Tikhon was one of the first to support the full-scale invasion of our state and called for the assistance of the armed forces of the aggressor country“, the SBU states.Two charges under the Ukrainian Criminal Code
The metropolitan is charged with charges under Part 2 of Article 110 and Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. The first provision concerns public actions aimed at changing the borders or territory of Ukraine in violation of the constitutional order.
The second charge is related to justifying, recognizing as lawful or denying the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, as well as glorifying its participants. The SBU indicates that the suspicion was raised in absentia, since Shevkunov is not under the control of the Ukrainian authorities.
The Metropolitan heads the Crimean Metropolis since 2023.
Georgy Shevkunov is a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and has headed the Crimean Metropolis since October 2023. The Ukrainian authorities define him as one of the ideologists of the Kremlin regime and as a close spiritual advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Shevkunov is already included in Ukrainian sanctions lists. However, the official SBU statement of September 11 does not state that the metropolitan is wanted. Therefore, this part of the information cannot be confirmed based on the published data on the suspicion in absentia.
Sources: ru.interfax.com.ua, vz.ru