Signs of Treason. SBU investigates the construction of a grand monastery of the Russian Church near Kyiv.

Three representatives of the "Servant of the People" party have asked the Security Service to investigate the illegal construction of the St. John of Kronstadt Monastery by the "St. John Monastery" religious community in the village of Mala Soltanivka, Fastiv District. This was reported by journalist Pavlo Vuiko in an article titled "'Kremlin' grew near Kyiv. The Russian Church built a huge monastery" for "Glavkom".

According to the article, the construction of this large monastery began back in the early 2000s and is still ongoing. Although this religious site has no direct relation to the UOC (MP), it has become part of the mysterious structure - the Russian Church Abroad.

In June, the Parliamentary Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning decided to find out the results of the inspection by the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate (SACI). The reason for the inspection was a complaint from residents of Mala Soltanivka to the regional prosecutor's office. Concerned citizens noted that the plots where the monastery is located are being used improperly, and construction is being carried out without permission and a building passport.

After the inspection, SACI confirmed the problems, drew up a protocol of the offense, and issued an order to eliminate the violations. The order is dated December 29, 2023, and the Time to correct the violations expires on February 29, 2024.

Lack of Control

When the deputies checked the execution of the order, it turned out that the inspection had forgotten about it. After reminders from the deputies, SACI turned to the Ministry of Community Development for permission to conduct the inspection. The ministry issued the order on July 8, but sent it to SACI only on July 26 after a reminder.

The deputies express surprise that the illegal construction of religious structures in Mala Soltanivka, organized by the Russian Church, remains unnoticed by the SBU in wartime conditions.

The Security Service responds to the deputies' requests and opens a criminal case. This could lead to charges of violating construction safety rules or of treason.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy has stated that there is a campaign to discredit the bill to ban religious organizations associated with Russia.