Based on the evidence collected by the SSU, the court convicted another metropolitan of moscow patriarchate’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church - head of Tulchyn diocese in Vinnytsia region, who publicly justified russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

The court upheld the evidence collected by the SSU and sentenced the cleric to 5 years in prison.

The accused was found guilty of crimes under the Articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• 109.2 (actions aimed at forceful change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power);
• 110.1 (encroachment on Ukraine’s territorial integrity and inviolability);
• 161.2 (violation of equality of citizens based on their race, nationality, region, religious beliefs, disability and other grounds);
• 436-2.3 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).

According to the investigation, the clergyman disseminated propaganda leaflets among believers, calling for seizure of power and changing the boundaries of Ukraine’s state border.

At one of the russian Orthodox Church’s websites, he posted publications in support of russian occupiers and their war crimes.

The SSU-initiated examination of the evidence seized during the searches (pro-kremlin propaganda and literature) confirmed the metropolitan’s unlawful activities.

The SSU submitted a guilty verdict to the court against the head of Tulchyn UOC-MP diocese in January.

In May 2023, following the SSU’s investigation, Kropyvnytskyi District Court passed the first in Ukraine sentence against the metropolitan Josaph, former head of Kirovohrad UOC-MP diocese. He and the diocese secretary fully pleaded guilty to all charges.