Former cleric of UOC suing Bishop Theodosiy over words "Judas-traitor"

Joseph Zasansky (center) with Dumenko and Yaremenko. Photo: OCU's Facebook

On June 11, 2025, a regular session was held at the Sosnovsky District Court of the Cherkasy region regarding the case against Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv. According to the local publication 18000, the plaintiff is a former cleric of the UOC, Joseph Zasansky.

Zasansky joined the OCU in November last year and filed a lawsuit against Metropolitan Theodosiy. The basis for his accusations were the bishop's “critical remarks” directed at the cleric.

The OCU cleric claims that the archbishop called him a "Judas-traitor" after his transition to the Dumenko structure. He is also disputing the ecclesiastical status of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Church in Cherkasy, where he is currently serving.

The Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor’s Office stated that Metropolitan Theodosiy is being prosecuted for statements that “incite enmity and insult citizens based on their religious beliefs” – under Part 1, Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that on March 18, 2025, the Sosnivsky District Court of Cherkasy changed the pre-trial measure for the archbishop from house arrest to personal obligation.

The court proceedings against Metropolitan Theodosiy (Snigirev) of Cherkasy and Kaniv have been ongoing for two years. During this time, he has been issued five suspicions, two of which were combined into a single case. The first suspicion was announced by the SBU on February 20, 2023.

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