The abbot of the monastery of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, in the capital of Ukraine, Metropolitan Pavel, has been placed under house arrest.

- They sent me to house arrest, he says in the video published by the Vesti media, reported by Hina.

The information has not yet been officially confirmed.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) previously announced that Metropolitan Pavel is suspected of inciting discord and working for Russia. Members of the SBU are searching his residence, the Russian news agency Tass reports.

A police source confirmed to the Ukrainian media Liga.net that the metropolitan is suspected of "inciting interreligious hatred and justifying Russia's armed aggression."

Today's events followed the decision by Metropolitan Pavel and other members of the Russian-backed Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to remain in the old monastery in Kyiv despite calls from the Ukrainian government to leave.

A few days after the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture issued a statement calling on the priests of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to leave the monastery by March 29, the Moscow Patriarchate said it has no intention of leaving the building, the "Kyiv Independent" reports.