Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion detained in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), former head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, was detained in the Czech city of Karlovy Vary. According to his Telegram channel, Czech authorities found four small containers with a white substance in his vehicle.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), once one of the most senior figures in the Russian Orthodox Church, was detained by Czech authorities in the spa city of Karlovy Vary. The news was confirmed through the metropolitan's own Telegram channel, which reported that police stopped him and searched his vehicle.

During the search, Czech law enforcement reportedly discovered four small containers filled with a white substance in Hilarion's car. The nature of the substance has not yet been officially confirmed by Czech authorities, and no further details about the charges or the circumstances of the detention have been publicly disclosed.

Hilarion (Alfeyev) previously served as the head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations — a role that effectively made him the Russian Orthodox Church's top diplomat and a prominent public face of the institution internationally. He was removed from that position in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in what was widely seen as a consequence of his reportedly more moderate views on the conflict.

The detention of a senior Russian Orthodox cleric on Czech soil is likely to draw significant international attention, given the broader geopolitical tensions between the West and Russia. Czech authorities have not yet issued a formal statement on the case.