Russian Foreign Ministry sees arrest of metropolitan in Czechia as "provocation" and "attack on Orthodoxy"
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has claimed that the detention of Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion in Czechia for transporting an unidentified substance was a "staged provocation" and is demanding his immediate release.
Source: European Pravda, citing a comment by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova
Details: Hilarion was arrested in Czechia for possession of an unknown substance. The Russian Foreign Ministry is demanding his "unconditional immediate release and the termination of the fabricated case".
"The head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow will be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in the near future, and a strong protest will be expressed in connection with the unacceptable arbitrariness of the Czech authorities," Zakharova said.
She added that the Russian embassy would continue to provide Hilarion with all necessary assistance. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the detention took place "on trumped-up charges".
"The vehicle in which the metropolitan was travelling was stopped by two patrol cars of the Czech police. During the search, which was conducted without photo or video recording and without witnesses, some unnamed substance was supposedly discovered in the boot. Subsequently, Hilarion and his driver were personally searched at a police station and tested for narcotic substances, with negative results," Zakharova claimed.
"We believe this incident was a deliberate staged provocation aimed at discrediting both the metropolitan himself and Orthodoxy in general, which has recently been subjected to attacks in Czechia," she added.
Background:
- On 24 May, Czech law enforcement officers stopped Hilarion's car and discovered four small containers with a white substance inside.
- Notably, in 2025 discussions were held about adding Hilarion to the Czech national sanctions list.
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