Moscow condemned the motion of the Czech police, calling the detainment a ‘provocation’.
Printed On 25 Might 2026
Czech police have detained a Russian cleric after 4 containers of a suspicious white substance have been found in his automobile.
Orthodox Bishop Hilarion was detained within the city of Karlovy Range, based on an announcement launched on his Telegram channel by his defence workforce on Monday.
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The arrest sparked claims of provocation from Moscow in opposition to Czechia’s authorities, regardless of Prague having lowered its assist for Ukraine because it took workplace six months in the past.
Bishop Hilarion, 60, whose secular identify is Grigory Alfeyev, heads the Russian Orthodox Church’s congregation within the western city, which hosts a sizeable Russian diaspora.
The cleric denied any involvement in drug possession. “I’ve no connection and have by no means had any connection to the unlawful trafficking of narcotic substances,” he stated within the assertion.
Czech police stated solely {that a} man was detained on Sunday night on a freeway between Karlovy Range and Prague, including that interrogations have been underneath means and nobody had been charged, with out disclosing the detainee’s id.
The Czech Drug Enforcement Centre stated it had additionally acted on an nameless tip-off reporting the transport of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
Hilarion’s defence stated police provided no clear purpose for stopping the automobile and that two patrol vehicles seemed to be ready for it on the highway.
Hilarion was not permitted to look at the search, his lawyer stated, including that the defence was demanding unbiased forensic evaluation of the substance together with fingerprint and DNA checks.
‘Provocation’
Russian Overseas Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova known as the incident an “orchestrated provocation” aimed toward discrediting Hilarion, and demanded his quick launch.
“The pinnacle of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow will shortly be summoned to the Russian Overseas Ministry, the place a robust protest will probably be lodged concerning the unacceptable high-handedness of the Czech authorities,” she stated.
Russian media reported that the detention adopted months of nameless threats in opposition to Hilarion, together with threats of bodily violence demanding he depart his put up in Karlovy Range.
Hilarion was as soon as thought-about the right-hand man of Patriarch Kirill – the pinnacle of the Russian Orthodox Church and a pillar of assist for President Vladimir Putin and his warfare on Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the priest reportedly fell out of favour with Moscow’s non secular authorities and was despatched overseas in 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion.
His task to the Czech Republic got here after a former aide introduced sexual misconduct expenses in opposition to him, allegations Hilarion denied, claiming the aide had tried to extort €384,000 from him.
Not like many senior Russian clergymen who’ve publicly backed the warfare in Ukraine, Hilarion has by no means publicly commented on the battle.
Individually on Monday, the Czech authorities, a coalition of populist and far-right events that took workplace in December, introduced that it had permitted a authorized modification that will tighten guidelines for Ukrainian refugees’ stays and monetary assist. It stated it was responding to the abuse of help, and the notion that refugees had some benefits over locals.
