Cleric of UOC-MP directed ’Iskander’ missiles at Odesa; he has been detained, – SSU. PHOTO
The Security Service’s counter-intelligence unit has detained another agent of Russian military intelligence (better known as the GRU) in Odesa. He turned out to be a priest from one of the churches in the local diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) who had been recruited by the enemy and had coordinated a double strike on Odesa in March 2024.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the SSU press centre.
Aimed an Iskander at the city
Using his coordinates, the Russians then attacked a recreational area of the port city with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
- The first strike hit residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure in the regional centre, where, according to the spotter, military personnel might have been present.
- The second strike hit the same location when emergency services arrived at the scene.
It is also noted that after the strike, the agent "reported" to the Russian group on the consequences of the Russian air strike and "lay low" to avoid exposure.
"However, this did not help him. SSU officers established the priest’s involvement in directing the shelling of Odesa and detained him at his place of residence," the statement reads.
Details of his work for the enemy
As the investigation established, the cleric came to the attention of the Russians when he published pro-Kremlin comments on Telegram channels.
After being recruited, the priest, without removing his cassock, walked around the city to mark the geolocations of potential "targets" on Google Maps.
He passed the information he gathered to a chatbot administered by the traitor, Sergei Lebedev (alias "Lokhmaty"), who is in hiding in Donetsk and works for Russian military intelligence.
It has also been established that the agent passed on to the enemy the coordinates of the locations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ air defence forces and assets, which were providing airspace protection for the Odesa region during Russian missile attacks.
Furthermore, the cleric "leaked" information to the occupiers about one of the electrical substations near Odesa, specifically regarding its defence system, and following an enemy strike on the energy facility, he informed Russian military intelligence of the consequences of the attack.
During searches, a smartphone was seized from the detainee, which he had used to gather intelligence and maintain contact with the Russian Federation.
Suspicion
- Investigators from the Security Service informed him that he was suspected of an offence under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).
- The perpetrator is in custody without the right to bail. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
