Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church, who was detained in connection with a white powder, has left the Czech Republic

Metropolitan Hilarion (Grigory Alfeyev), a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, reported that he had left the Czech Republic urgently following his recent detention by local police. The clergyman explained his departure by citing fears that a similar situation could recur, since, in his words, in a European country “such things are done very easily.” He currently intends to officially report the incident to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.

This was reported by the Russian propaganda agency TASS.

The former influential figure of the Russian Orthodox Church called his detention in Karlovy Vary a planned provocation and categorically denied any involvement with the four containers of white powder that police found during a search of his car’s trunk. Ilarion released a video statement in which he complained about the unsatisfactory conditions of his detention at the Czech temporary detention center in Ungošť—specifically, the lack of hot meals, bedding, and personal hygiene items. The metropolitan’s defense team also highlighted significant procedural violations, pointing to the absence of witnesses and proper video documentation during the search of the vehicle by law enforcement officers.

Despite the fact that a Czech laboratory analysis later officially identified the seized white substance as a narcotic, on Tuesday, May 26, Ilarion and his videographer were released from custody without formal criminal charges being filed. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a diplomatic protest with Prague and summoned the Czech diplomat in Moscow, characterizing the actions of the Czech police as a premeditated political campaign aimed at “discrediting Orthodoxy.”