Russian Foreign Ministry sees "provocation" and "attack on Orthodoxy" in detention of its metropolitan in Czechia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has claimed that the detention of Metropolitan Hilarion, Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Czechia over the transportation of an unidentified substance was an "orchestrated provocation" and demanded his immediate release.

Hilarion, who heads the Czech branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, was detained in Czechia over the transportation of an unknown substance. The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded his "unconditional immediate release and the termination of the fabricated case".

"In the near future, the head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow will be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and a strong protest will be expressed in connection with the unacceptable arbitrariness of the Czech authorities," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

She added that the Russian embassy would continue providing Hilarion with all necessary assistance. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the detention took place on "far-fetched accusations".

"The vehicle carrying the metropolitan was stopped by two patrol cars of the Czech police. During the search, which was conducted without photo or video recording and without witnesses, some unnamed substance was supposedly discovered in the trunk. Subsequently, Hilarion and his driver were personally searched at a police station and tested for narcotic substances, with negative results," Zakharova claimed.

"We view this incident as a deliberate staged provocation aimed at discrediting both the metropolitan himself and Orthodoxy in general, which has recently been subjected to attacks in Czechia," she added.

On 24 May, Czech law enforcement officers stopped a car carrying Hilarion and discovered four small containers with a white substance inside.

Notably, in 2025 discussions were held about adding Hilarion to the Czech national sanctions list.