Hilarion Alfeyev, a retired bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been released in the Czech Republic after being detained. He was freed without any additional restrictions, such as bail or travel bans, as reported by his Telegram channel. Alfeyev was arrested following the discovery of containers with an unspecified substance in his car trunk by Czech police while he was residing in Czechia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed its intention to summon the head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow over Alfeyev’s detention in Karlovy Vary. The Ministry condemned the Czech authorities’ actions as unacceptable and arbitrary. Alfeyev, whose place of service is the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary, was reportedly arrested on what the Ministry termed as “trumped-up charges.”
Alfeyev denied any involvement in illegal possession of prohibited substances and deemed his arrest a provocation. The Russian Ministry criticized the incident as a deliberate attempt to discredit both Alfeyev and Orthodoxy. It demanded the immediate release of Alfeyev and an end to what it called a “fabricated investigation.” Alfeyev also disclosed receiving anonymous threats, including physical violence warnings, urging him to leave his service position.
