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Russia lodges protest with Czech charge d’affaires over detention of Metropolitan Hilarion

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the drug production and trafficking charges brought against the Orthodox Church hierarch were completely unfounded and absurd

The Czech Republic’s Charge d’Affaires, Jan Ondrejka Pavel Seleznev/TASS

The Czech Republic’s Charge d’Affaires, Jan Ondrejka

© Pavel Seleznev/TASS

MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. Moscow has lodged a strong protest with the Czech Republic’s charge d'affaires in Moscow over the detention of Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church in the city of Karlovy Vary, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"On May 26, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Czech Republic’s Charge d’Affaires Jan Ondrejka. A strong protest was lodged with him over the detention of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of the Russian Orthodox Church, which had taken place in the Czech Republic on May 24," the statement reads.

"It was pointed out that the drug production and trafficking charges brought against the Orthodox Church hierarch were completely unfounded and absurd. It was also noted that the fact that the police operation leading to his detention had been carried out based on an anonymous report indicated it was a pre-planned act of provocation," the ministry added.

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Foreign policy Czech Republic

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