A suspicious white substance was found in the car of a Russian Orthodox Church metropolitan in the Czech Republic
25 May 15:24
In the Czech Republic, law enforcement officers stopped a car carrying Russian Metropolitan Hilarion, who heads the Czech branch of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). During a search of the vehicle, four containers of a white substance were discovered.
This is stated in a post by the Russian priest on his Telegram channel, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
Metropolitan Hilarion’s Response
In a statement published on behalf of the ROC metropolitan, his defense team stated that he categorically denies any allegations of involvement in the illegal possession of prohibited substances.
“I have no connection whatsoever to the illegal trafficking of narcotics, nor have I ever had any. For me, as a clergyman, the very suggestion of such a thing is absolutely false. I insist on a full, independent, and procedurally flawless investigation into what happened,” Metropolitan Hilarion stated.
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The Defense’s Position
The Metropolitan’s defense attorneys express doubts regarding the legality of the police’s actions during the traffic stop.
According to them, two police cars were effectively waiting for the metropolitan’s vehicle on the highway. The police immediately requested documents not only from the driver but also from the metropolitan, “without clear explanations of the reason for the stop related to a possible traffic violation.”
The defense is demanding all video recordings from the scene and insists on an independent examination of the substance, packaging, and containers, as well as a check of fingerprints and DNA traces.
The Russian Orthodox Metropolitan claims that in recent months he has received anonymous threats, including threats of physical violence.
Ilarion previously headed the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and was considered one of the leading candidates for the post of the next Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, in June 2022, he was removed from that position. Later, in late 2024, he was dismissed from his post as head of the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese due to allegations of sexual harassment.
In July 2013, fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych awarded Ilarion the Order of Merit, Third Class. In January 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted a decision by the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against Metropolitan Ilarion and strip him of his state awards.
In 2025, Czech media reported that Ilarion had ties to Russian intelligence services. In particular, the media circulated a video showing the priest shooting at targets at a shooting range with a weapon used by FSB officers. Following this, the Czech Republic considered imposing sanctions against the Russian priest.
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