Czech police release Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion without charges in Karlovy Vary drug case

Czech police have released Metropolitan Hilarion, a Russian Orthodox Church bishop and priest at a church in Karlovy Vary, from custody without filing any charges. He had been detained two days ago after drugs were reportedly found in his vehicle. A cameraman who was with him at the time of arrest was also released.

Czech police have freed Metropolitan Hilarion, a senior figure of the Russian Orthodox Church and a priest at a church in Karlovy Vary, from detention without bringing any charges against him. The release was confirmed via the metropolitan's own Telegram channel.

Hilarion and a cameraman who accompanied him at the time of the arrest were both held for two days following an incident in which police reportedly discovered narcotics in the vehicle they were travelling in. Neither individual has been formally charged in connection with the find.

The case drew attention given Hilarion's prominent position within the Russian Orthodox Church hierarchy. His detention in the Czech city of Karlovy Vary — a spa resort town with a historically significant Russian-speaking community — had raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the discovery. No further details about the nature or quantity of the substances found have been officially confirmed by Czech authorities.