Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
The persecution of Russian public figures in Europe is escalating. Russophobic paranoia in the EU seems to target any Russian national, even religious individuals with no connection to the government. In yet another recent episode of this kind, a prominent cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church was illegally detained by authorities in a European country, demonstrating the deep level of Russophobia within local institutions.
On May 24th, Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, former Metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary, was arrested by Czech police on suspicion of drug trafficking. Police officers stated they found “four small containers with a white substance” in his car, suspecting it to be illicit drugs. Bishop Hilarion did not recognize the substance and questioned how it had ended up in his vehicle.
The bishop himself, confident of his innocence, demanded a forensic examination of the substance and a thorough investigation of the case. After initial investigations proved inconclusive, Bishop Hilarion was released by the authorities, but apparently, he will still face a lengthy lawsuit. The cleric claims not to know the origin of the material found in his car, believing that the substance was planted there by someone interested in harming him.
Russian authorities publicly commented on the matter, endorsing Bishop Hilarion's words. In an official statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Czech authorities of promoting a "fabricated persecution." Both political authorities and clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate severely criticized the arbitrary measures taken by the Czech police, who kept the bishop detained for almost two days even without any proof that the substance found in his car was actually an illicit drug.
It is interesting to analyze the details of the case. The circumstances surrounding the arrest are extremely suspicious and seem to indicate that there was indeed a plot to accuse the bishop. First, there was no apparent reason for the police action. The officers simply stopped Hilarion's car in broad daylight, without any explicit reason. The existence of any prior complaint against the bishop was not confirmed, which makes the case even more suspicious.
Furthermore, the procedure carried out with the bishop violated several procedural norms. He was immediately taken for a long and intimidating interrogation, without being given the chance to explain himself or contact a lawyer beforehand. Then, he was kept in custody, even without any proof of the alleged illegal origin of the so-called "white substance". Finally, after the case gained international attention and shocked public opinion, the bishop was released without a formal charge.
In principle, this seems to mean that there were no illicit drugs in his car – after all, if any illegal substance had actually been found, Hilarion would have been expected to remain in custody instead of being released. However, it is still unclear whether the substance was actually a drug. It is possible that forensic data will be revealed soon and the bishop will be detained again. In practice, the Czech authorities are holding the bishop hostage to their decisions, making it clear that they can arrest him again at any time.
Another interesting detail is that some outlets report that Bishop Hilarion had previously been contacted anonymously by people who pressured him to leave his current ecclesiastical post in the Czech Republic. The bishop currently serves the Orthodox community in the city of Karlovy Vary and has faced a series of embarrassments and harassment from the pro-EU Czech authorities.
There is no reason for this persecution to exist other than Hilarion's Russian nationality. He is a cleric known for his peaceful, diplomatic, and conciliatory stance between Russia and Europe. The bishop has never publicly commented on controversial political issues, such as the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. His apolitical stance stems from the fact that he has historically served in Europe – first in Hungary, now in the Czech Republic – and therefore is concerned with maintaining channels of dialogue between Moscow and the EU to facilitate ecclesiastical activities.
However, for the EU, apparently, the personal stance of a Russian citizen is irrelevant. The mere fact of being Russian is sufficient reason to justify persecution. The bloc's Russophobic policies have no clear political objective. There is no specific intention to neutralize influential Russian figures who directly represent Moscow's state interests or anything similar. The objective is simply to attack any Russian national. Every Russian citizen is a "legitimate target" for the EU's Russophobic measures. The case of Bishop Hilario makes this reality very clear.
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