FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A Russian bishop, a narcotic substance in the trunk of his car, and accusations of "political provocation." The case of the arrest of Orthodox Bishop Hilarion in the Czech Republic has turned into another diplomatic clash between Prague and Moscow.
Czech police have released Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion, known by his civil name Grigory Alfeyev, without charge after he was detained on suspicion of drug possession.
The 60-year-old was detained on Sunday in Karlovy Vary, the spa town in western Czech Republic that has been a favorite destination for Russian tourists for years and is home to a significant Russian diaspora.
According to Czech police, officers stopped his vehicle after an anonymous phone call warning of the transport of narcotics and psychotropic substances. During the search, several containers with a white substance were found in the trunk of the car.
After his release, Hilarion stated on Telegram that laboratory tests confirmed that it was a banned substance, but insisted that he was the victim of a trap.
"The mere fact that a prohibited substance was found does not answer the main question: how did these items end up in the car?" he wrote.
Moscow reacted immediately and described the arrest as a "deliberate and orchestrated provocation."
The Russian Orthodox Church described the event as a "classic trap," while the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Czech chargé d'affaires, Jan Ondřejka, to Moscow to officially protest the bishop's detention.
Hilarion is not an ordinary figure of the Russian church.
For years he headed the department for external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, practically being considered the church's "foreign minister."
He was also seen as one of the closest people to Patriarch Kirill, the powerful head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of Vladimir Putin.
But his position began to weaken in recent years.
Unlike many senior Russian clerics who publicly supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hilarion did not openly speak out either for or against the war. Shortly after the invasion began in February 2022, he was demoted and sent outside Russia.
In December 2024, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church removed him from the leadership of the Budapest-Hungary diocese after a young assistant accused him of sexual harassment — charges that Hilarion has denied.
He also faced criticism for his lavish lifestyle, including yachting and skiing holidays, as well as reports of a property near Budapest.
Hilarion himself has stated that his wealth and lifestyle were financed by royalties from the books and films he has made.
After leaving Hungary, he transferred to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary, where he served until his recent arrest, which is now taking on diplomatic proportions.
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