Al Jazeera
Czech authorities have apprehended a Russian cleric following the discovery of four containers containing a suspicious white substance in his vehicle.
Orthodox Bishop Hilarion, whose secular name is Grigory Alfeyev, was taken into custody in the town of Karlovy Vary, as reported by his legal team via a statement on his Telegram channel on Monday.
The arrest has incited allegations of provocation from Moscow against the Czech government, notwithstanding Czechia’s decreased support for Ukraine in the past six months since the current administration took office.
Bishop Hilarion, 60, oversees the Russian Orthodox Church's congregation in Karlovy Vary, a community that includes a significant Russian diaspora.
In his statement, the cleric firmly denied any involvement with drug possession, asserting, "I have no connection and have never had any connection to the illegal trafficking of narcotic substances."
Czech police indicated that a man was detained on the evening of Sunday on a highway linking Karlovy Vary and Prague, noting that interrogations were ongoing and that no charges had yet been filed, without revealing the identity of the detainee.
The Czech Drug Enforcement Centre stated its action was prompted by an anonymous tip-off regarding the transport of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
According to Hilarion's defence, police did not provide a clear rationale for stopping the vehicle, and two patrol cars appeared to be awaiting its arrival on the roadway.
The cleric was reportedly not allowed to observe the search, as stated by his lawyer, who added that the defence team is calling for independent forensic analysis of the substance, including fingerprint and DNA examinations.
'Provocation'
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized the incident as an "orchestrated provocation" designed to discredit Hilarion and has demanded his prompt release.
"The head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow will soon be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where a strong protest will be issued regarding the unacceptable high-handedness of the Czech authorities," she conveyed.
Russian news outlets mentioned that the detention followed months of unnamed threats directed at Hilarion, including threats of physical violence insisting he vacate his position in Karlovy Vary.
Once regarded as a close associate of Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine conflict, Hilarion reportedly fell out of favour with Moscow’s ecclesiastical authorities and was reassigned abroad in 2022, soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
His placement in the Czech Republic was preceded by allegations of sexual misconduct brought forth by a former aide, which Hilarion denied, asserting that the aide had attempted to extort €384,000 from him.
In contrast to numerous senior Russian clergymen who have openly supported the war in Ukraine, Hilarion has refrained from making any public remarks regarding the conflict.
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