Czech police stopped Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion (Grigory Alfeyev), 60, in Karlovy Vary on May 24 and found small containers of a white substance in his car following an anonymous tip-off [1, 2]. Forensic analysis confirmed the substance was a banned narcotic [3, 2].
Hilarion, who serves the Russian Orthodox community in Karlovy Vary and formerly headed the external relations department of the Russian Orthodox Church until his 2022 demotion amid sexual harassment allegations, denied any connection to the substance [1, 3, 2]. He called the incident a "provocation" and said, "The mere discovery of a prohibited substance does not answer the key question – how these items ended up in the vehicle in the first place" [1, 2]. He "categorically denies any involvement in the illegal possession of prohibited substances" and demanded an investigation [1].
The bishop was detained by Czech authorities but released without charge two days later on May 26 [3, 2]. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the detention as a "deliberate, orchestrated provocation" and summoned the Czech chargé d’affaires to protest the incident [3, 2].
The initial police search came after an anonymous tip-off, raising suspicions about the circumstances surrounding the discovery [1, 3, 2]. Hilarion's background includes controversy over his lifestyle and his 2022 demotion linked to sexual harassment allegations [3, 2].
The case has added tension between Russia and the Czech Republic, with Moscow accusing Prague of politically motivated actions against a senior church figure [3, 2]. Authorities have not announced any further legal steps against Hilarion as of now.
