Czech police detain Russian priest over ‘white substance’ find
Al Jazeera • • world
Key Points:
- Czech police detained Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion in Karlovy Vary after discovering four containers of a suspicious white substance in his car, prompting ongoing interrogations without formal charges.
- Bishop Hilarion, who denies any involvement in drug trafficking, is a prominent cleric with a sizeable Russian diaspora congregation and has faced anonymous threats and allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies.
- Russia condemned the detention as a “provocation” aimed at discrediting Hilarion, with the Russian Foreign Ministry demanding his immediate release and summoning the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow.
- The incident occurs amid strained Czech-Russian relations, despite Prague reducing its support for Ukraine, and follows the Czech government's recent approval of stricter rules for Ukrainian refugees in response to perceived abuses.