Proceedings opened in Bukovina over possible beating of UOC-MP Metropolitan Longin

In the Chernivtsi region, law enforcement officers opened proceedings on the public statements of Metropolitan Mykhailo Zhar of the UOC-MP about his beating. This was reported to a journalist of UNN by the head of the communication department of the Chernivtsi regional police, Karolina Marysheva.

Based on Mykhailo Zhar's public statements, information was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under the legal qualification of Article 125 of the Criminal Code - intentional light bodily harm

According to her, a number of investigative actions will be carried out as part of the criminal proceedings to establish all the circumstances and finalize the legal qualification of the incident.

"The police have not received any statements from Mykhailo Zhar, or reports from him personally or from others about him. We have opened proceedings based on his public report," Marysheva said.

Context

The Bancheny Monastery published a photo of Metropolitan Longin of the UOC-MP with bruises on his face. Longin said that he was allegedly beaten. "It happened on the night of 22.01.24, they knocked 3 times on the door, and when I opened it, I received a blow that knocked me unconscious. After the blow, I needed surgery on my eyelids. Now I feel fine!" he said.

Longin is a former abbot of the Bancheny Monastery.

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The Information and Education Department of the UOC reportedthat on January 2, 2024, at about four o'clock in the morning, the house where Metropolitan Longin lives caught fire. Longin was not injured, but the roof of the house burned down completely, and the house itself, as indicated, is no longer suitable for living.

In May 2023, Longin was notified of suspicion of inciting inter-religious hatred. During liturgies, he spoke disparagingly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.