Czech police release Russian bishop after arrest on suspicion of drug possession

A spokesperson for the National Drug Headquarters said the agency conducted a search ⁠of Metropolitan Hilarion’s car after receiving an anonymous tip.

The former head of external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church was released without charge from custody in the Czech Republic after police arrested him on suspicion of drug possession.

Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, who was chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate from 2009 to 2022 and was once expected to succeed Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, was released two days after his arrest on 24 May.

Police detained Hilarion, who served at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary in the western part of Czech Republic, while he was leaving Prague. In the boot of his car they found several containers with a white prohibited substance.

Hilarion denied any connection to the drugs found in the car and called the incident a provocation. The Russian foreign ministry demanded the police halt the “fabricated” proceedings against him.

A spokesperson for the Czech police’s National Drug Headquarters said the agency conducted a search ⁠after receiving an anonymous tip. She did not comment directly on whether they found a substance nor on the identities of those involved, and did not provide further details, citing ongoing criminal proceedings.

Hilarion was appointed to lead the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary in 2022. Two years later, after his former personal attendant accused him of harassment, the metropolitan was demoted and transferred to the Czech Republic where he served the Russian-speaking community in Karlovy Vary.

Czech investigators continue the investigation of Metropolitan Hilarion after his departure from the country.

“Czech authorities have repeatedly made it clear to Hilarion that he is considered persona non grata. Because he holds a European – specifically Hungarian – passport, however, they lack the legal authority to deport him. But they can drop a hint,” commented Russian Orthodox analyst Andrei Kuraev on social media after Hilarion’s detention.

After his release, Kuraev added: “This looks like a firm invitation to leave the country.”

In 2024, the Czech authorities expelled Fr Nikolai Lischenyuk, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in the country and a key ally of Patriarch Kirill, due to national security concerns. Lischenyuk’s permanent residency was revoked and he was ordered to leave the country. 

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