04 July 2025
On 2 July, by his decree, Volodymyr Zelenskyi deprived the Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy, of the citizenship of Ukraine. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which had long turned into a dependent organisation for serving the needs of Zelenskyi's clique, provided dubious evidence, scans of a passport in the name of the Most Blessed Metropolitan, without a proof of the genuineness of the document, without the necessary examination, without the original. The document itself was allegedly issued back in 2002 (Volodymyr Zelenskyi himself spent practically all his time in Moscow then) and must have expired long ago. His Beatitude himself already provided comprehensive explanations concerning his citizenship two years ago.
The authorities have already given reasons to doubt their honesty more than once. The sharpers and hypocrites who have found themselves at the helm of the state cannot be trusted: they have repeatedly fabricated documents and facts, lied and deceived their own people while manipulating their conscience and trust. The most disgusting is that such frauds of documents may be employed against any citizen of Ukraine.
What is going on is the continuation of the policy of Zelenskyi's regime to discredit and persecute the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The campaign led by the authorities against the UOC has entered a new stage: supporters of the 'war party' now not only seize churches and throw church leaders, clergy, and laypeople into jail. Territorial recruitment centres have been commanded to mobilise UOC priests (clergymen of our Church are upon whom the stress is) on a large scale. The deprivation of the Most Blessed Onufriy of Ukrainian citizenship is no accident, nor an attempt to distract attention from political or military failures. It is the first step towards the removal of the Primate of the UOC from the country.
According to available information, a plan has been devised in the bowels of the Office of the President: to decapitate the UOC Metropolis of Kiev through the deprivation of the Most Blessed Onufriy of citizenship and his potential expulsion from the country; appoint as Locum Tenens one of the oldest metropolitans; and then, by means of the convocation of the UOC Bishops' Council under the direct control of the SBU, 'elect' as 'Primate' one of the hierarchs who demonstrate heightened loyalty to the authorities and willingness to carry out their orders. All of it is to fulfil the dream of the triumvirate of Zelenskyi, Yermak, and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to take the UOC under control and include her into the dependent organisation managed from the Office of the President.
The authorities' actions against the Most Blessed Onufriy became a show of not strength but powerlessness. There is a reason why the decree of the President appeared shortly after believers defended the cathedral church in Chernivtsi — His Beatitude's native land — after an unsuccessful attempt of the authorities to organise a raider seizure of the church. In this situation, the authorities decided to take extreme measures.
What is His Beatitude's guilt before Zelenskyi's clique? It is the fact that His Beatitude has not put politics above serving God. The fact that he has not betrayed the Church or the Ukrainian people in difficult times. The fact that His Beatitude always calls to peace, to love, to truth, and to repentance, whereas Zelenskyy needs war, hatred, lies, and theatrical ovations.
Zelenskyi has long turned into a source of evil, lawlessness, and corruption. His loud statements about the aspiration to the 'spiritual independence of Ukraine' are hypocrisy. Zelenskyy and spirituality are incompatible concepts in principle. And today's actions aimed against the Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church prove it.
It seems that the griefs Ukraine is experiencing today are not enough for Zelenskyi. He is trying to provoke a religious confrontation in the country, clearly understanding how much millions of believers love their Primate and Vladyka and how they will respond to an attempt to exile him from Ukraine. Under the guise of the war with Russia, he is trying to stir up a war against his own people.
But in these circumstances, our response to the authorities' actions can be only the unity of the faithful of the Church and genuine prayer for our Primate and for the people. I call upon everyone — hierarchs, priests, the laity — to be faithful children of our Church, prevent our being involved in intrigues and provocations, and unite around our Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. I encourage the hierarchs whom the authorities are prompting to infidelity and a betrayal of the Church to come to their senses and not to become like Judas, but to remember the Parable of the Prodigal Son, who returned to his father after all.
The UNITY of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is what the authorities are afraid of and what they try to ruin by their actions. UNITY, FAITHFULNESS, and FIRMNESS IN FAITH are what we can oppose to the persecution from the satanic authorities.
It is necessary to remember and believe: never in history were worldly forces, politicians or dictators, tsars or commissars able to defeat the Church, founded by Jesus Christ. And the Church will be victorious this time as well, and all the persecutors will get what they have deserved from God!
All related news The authorities have already given reasons to doubt their honesty more than once. The sharpers and hypocrites who have found themselves at the helm of the state cannot be trusted: they have repeatedly fabricated documents and facts, lied and deceived their own people while manipulating their conscience and trust. The most disgusting is that such frauds of documents may be employed against any citizen of Ukraine.
What is going on is the continuation of the policy of Zelenskyi's regime to discredit and persecute the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The campaign led by the authorities against the UOC has entered a new stage: supporters of the 'war party' now not only seize churches and throw church leaders, clergy, and laypeople into jail. Territorial recruitment centres have been commanded to mobilise UOC priests (clergymen of our Church are upon whom the stress is) on a large scale. The deprivation of the Most Blessed Onufriy of Ukrainian citizenship is no accident, nor an attempt to distract attention from political or military failures. It is the first step towards the removal of the Primate of the UOC from the country.
According to available information, a plan has been devised in the bowels of the Office of the President: to decapitate the UOC Metropolis of Kiev through the deprivation of the Most Blessed Onufriy of citizenship and his potential expulsion from the country; appoint as Locum Tenens one of the oldest metropolitans; and then, by means of the convocation of the UOC Bishops' Council under the direct control of the SBU, 'elect' as 'Primate' one of the hierarchs who demonstrate heightened loyalty to the authorities and willingness to carry out their orders. All of it is to fulfil the dream of the triumvirate of Zelenskyi, Yermak, and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to take the UOC under control and include her into the dependent organisation managed from the Office of the President.
The authorities' actions against the Most Blessed Onufriy became a show of not strength but powerlessness. There is a reason why the decree of the President appeared shortly after believers defended the cathedral church in Chernivtsi — His Beatitude's native land — after an unsuccessful attempt of the authorities to organise a raider seizure of the church. In this situation, the authorities decided to take extreme measures.
What is His Beatitude's guilt before Zelenskyi's clique? It is the fact that His Beatitude has not put politics above serving God. The fact that he has not betrayed the Church or the Ukrainian people in difficult times. The fact that His Beatitude always calls to peace, to love, to truth, and to repentance, whereas Zelenskyy needs war, hatred, lies, and theatrical ovations.
Zelenskyi has long turned into a source of evil, lawlessness, and corruption. His loud statements about the aspiration to the 'spiritual independence of Ukraine' are hypocrisy. Zelenskyy and spirituality are incompatible concepts in principle. And today's actions aimed against the Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church prove it.
It seems that the griefs Ukraine is experiencing today are not enough for Zelenskyi. He is trying to provoke a religious confrontation in the country, clearly understanding how much millions of believers love their Primate and Vladyka and how they will respond to an attempt to exile him from Ukraine. Under the guise of the war with Russia, he is trying to stir up a war against his own people.
But in these circumstances, our response to the authorities' actions can be only the unity of the faithful of the Church and genuine prayer for our Primate and for the people. I call upon everyone — hierarchs, priests, the laity — to be faithful children of our Church, prevent our being involved in intrigues and provocations, and unite around our Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. I encourage the hierarchs whom the authorities are prompting to infidelity and a betrayal of the Church to come to their senses and not to become like Judas, but to remember the Parable of the Prodigal Son, who returned to his father after all.
The UNITY of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is what the authorities are afraid of and what they try to ruin by their actions. UNITY, FAITHFULNESS, and FIRMNESS IN FAITH are what we can oppose to the persecution from the satanic authorities.
It is necessary to remember and believe: never in history were worldly forces, politicians or dictators, tsars or commissars able to defeat the Church, founded by Jesus Christ. And the Church will be victorious this time as well, and all the persecutors will get what they have deserved from God!
