Ex-head of SBU who opposed UOC is accused of treason

Former head of the SBU Vasily Gritsak. Photo: ZN.UA

The Pechersky District Court of Kiev ordered the Prosecutor General to open criminal proceedings on high treason against the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasily Gritsak, reports “Zerkalo Nedeli”.

In particular, representatives of the “Arey” engineering group filed a lawsuit against V. Gritsak because of the raider seizure in 2016 of the territory of the ATEK plant of Kiev. According to the plaintiffs, "The result of the crime of V. Gritsak is the looting and destruction of a defence enterprise during the war".

Vasily Gritsak is known for his negative attitude towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Security Service of Ukraine, headed by Gritsak, searched the abbot of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, called for interrogation the bishops of the UOC to force them to participate in the “Unification Council”. The clergy of the UOC were also accused of treason.

In addition, during his leadership of the SBU, information brochures were issued against the UOC. Then Vasily Gritsak explained the “need” for the dissemination of such information by the fact that “targeted inspirations by the Russian special services of interfaith conflicts in Ukraine, combined with provocations of direct terrorist action, could become the reason for an open military invasion of the Russian armed forces in our country”.

Also, Vasily Gritsak argued that the riots near the churches of the UOC are organized by special services of the Russian Federation to destabilize the situation in the country before the elections.

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