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 automotive.
Orthodox Bishop Hilarion was detained within the city of Karlovy Differ, in accordance with a press release launched on his Telegram channel by his defence crew on Monday.
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The arrest sparked claims of provocation from Moscow towards Czechia’s authorities, regardless of Prague having diminished its help for Ukraine because it took workplace six months in the past.
Bishop Hilarion, 60, whose secular title 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 Differ and Prague, including that interrogations have been below method 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 motive for stopping the car and that two patrol vehicles seemed to be ready for it on the street.
Hilarion was not permitted to watch 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 referred to as the incident an “orchestrated provocation” aimed toward discrediting Hilarion, and demanded his quick launch.
“The top of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow will shortly be summoned to the Russian Overseas Ministry, the place a robust protest shall be lodged relating to the unacceptable high-handedness of the Czech authorities,” she stated.
Russian media reported that the detention adopted months of nameless threats towards Hilarion, together with threats of bodily violence demanding he depart his submit in Karlovy Differ.
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 help for President Vladimir Putin and his battle on Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the priest reportedly fell out of favour with Moscow’s religious authorities and was despatched overseas in 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion.
His project to the Czech Republic got here after a former aide introduced sexual misconduct fees towards him, allegations Hilarion denied, claiming the aide had tried to extort €384,000 from him.
In contrast to many senior Russian clergymen who’ve publicly backed the battle 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 accepted a authorized modification that might tighten guidelines for Ukrainian refugees’ stays and monetary help. It stated it was responding to the abuse of assist, and the notion that refugees had some benefits over locals.
