Metropolitan Pavel House Arrest Order Changed to Detention

Metropolitan Pavel (Pyotr Lebed) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has had his house arrest replaced with detention until Aug. 14, the Solomensky District Court has ruled, approving a request from the prosecutor’s office. This means he will now be held by law enforcement in custody.

Additionally, he has been allowed to post a deposit of more than Hr. 33 million, equivalent to approximately $900,000.

The prosecutor's office had initially sought to extend his detention until Sep. 1 and impose a bail amount of Hr. 60 million ($1.6 million)

Metropolitan Pavel intends to challenge the court's decision and is expected to file an appeal, according to reports from UNIAN.

In late March, the Shevchenkiv District Court of Kyiv ordered a round-the-clock house arrest for Metropolitan Pavel. He was searched by employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and accused of supporting Russian aggression and inciting national and religious enmity.

During the May 29 trial, Pavel denied any affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate and expressed his discontent with the nickname “Pasha Mercedes” attributed to him due to his fondness for expensive cars.

In July, the Prosecutor General's office of Ukraine announced a new suspicion against Metropolitan Pavel. Investigators claim that he portrayed Russia's aggression as an internal civil conflict and made statements that justified or denied the actions of the Russian Federation. As a result, the prosecutor's office sought a change in the preventive measure, leading to the recent court decision.