The SSU has prevented the escape of a pro-kremlin provocateur who had been wanted for almost two and a half years for justifying russia’s war against Ukraine and praising ruscists.

The Service detained him near a monastery of moscow patriarchate’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC-MP) in Bukovyna, where he was hiding and planning to illegally cross the border to the EU.

The perpetrator is a 20-year-old resident of Cherkasy who, after the onset of the full-scale war, wrote posts on Instagram in support of the occupiers.

In his comments and posts, the man praised Kadyrov and the militant groups subordinate to him that are fighting against Ukraine.

The provocateur also spread fakes about Ukrainian soldiers and called on them to surrender to the ruscists.

In July 2022, the person in question received a suspicion notice from the SSU under Article 436-2.3 of the CCU (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).

The day before the imposition of the measure of restraint, the suspect secretly left his home and began to hide in a local nunnery of the UOC-MP.

Later, he moved to Ternopil and then Chernivtsi regions. There, he also hid in churches of the UOC-MP, working as a labourer in exchange for ‘shelter’.

The individual was preparing to flee from Bukovyna to a neighbouring EU country. To do this, he began to actively learn a foreign language and develop routes for illegal border crossing.

The suspect is currently in custody and faces up to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Cherkasy region under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.