The Security Service of Ukraine confirms that the bishop of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Gedeon had three passports (Ukrainian, Russian and American). Vasyl Hrytsak, the Head of SBU, said this, according to Ukrinform.
“He possessed the passports of three countries indeed. The first passport with Ukrainian citizenship, the second one with the citizenship of the Russian Federation and the third one with the citizenship of the United States of America”, - Hrytsak said.
The Head of SBU also added that the Gedeon’s activity threatened to the national security of Ukraine, so he informed about that the State Migration Service and law enforcement bodies. “That is why the decision to seize the Ukrainian passport from him and to ban him from the country was taken. As far as I know, he is not the Ukrainian citizen”.
As we reported earlier, Ukrainian bishop Gedeon was detained at Boryspil airport and was not allowed into Ukraine after his visit to the U.S., as the Information Centre of Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The Spokesperson of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service Oleg Slobodyan reported about bishop’s detention on his Facebook page. He noted that his passport was seized for having several citizenships. Besides, it was determined that Gedeon is dealing with anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Border guards will decide on further legal actions against the detainee.
