Czech police detain Russian priest over ‘white substance’ find
Summary
Czech police detained Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion after finding four containers of a white substance in his car. The bishop denies any involvement in illegal drugs, while Russian officials call the arrest a provocation and demand his release.Key Facts
- Bishop Hilarion, whose real name is Grigory Alfeyev, leads a Russian Orthodox Church congregation in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
- Police stopped Hilarion’s car on a highway between Karlovy Vary and Prague after an anonymous tip about narcotic substances.
- Authorities found four containers with a suspicious white substance in his vehicle.
- Hilarion was not allowed to watch the search; his defense requests independent testing and forensic checks on the substance.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry called the arrest a planned provocation and is protesting to Czech authorities.
- Before this, Hilarion had faced anonymous threats in the Czech Republic telling him to leave his post.
- Hilarion was once close to Patriarch Kirill, a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine, but was reportedly sent abroad after falling out of favor.
- The Czech government also recently passed stricter rules for Ukrainian refugees, targeting misuse of aid and perceived unfair benefits.
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