Cherkasy Eparchy warns of provocative message campaign

The Cherkasy Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is urging priests to remain vigilant and cautious in light of a wave of provocative messages being distributed, which are “clearly written with the intent to later accuse the clergy of unlawful and subversive activity.” This was reported via the eparchy's official Telegram channel.

Recently, several clergymen have received such messages from both Ukrainian and Russian phone numbers.

“Do not believe them and do not respond. These are provocateurs whose goal is to initiate criminal cases against you under various articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, followed by prosecution and sentencing,” the eparchy wrote, sharing several screenshots of the correspondence.

Additionally, the press service reports that some high-ranking clergy members have repeatedly received phone calls over the past two years, allegedly from “officials of the Moscow Patriarchate,” with various absurd requests and proposals.

“Be vigilant! Don’t believe them! Take screenshots of any further messages and the numbers they come from. Do not engage in any communication with provocateurs!” the Cherkasy Eparchy warned.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Cherkasy Eparchy is currently defending in court its clergy’s right to military deferment.