Montenegrin media reveal Russian passports of four OCU “hierarchs”

Serhiy Dumenko (left) embracing a citizen of the aggressor state. Photo: OCU

The Montenegrin outlet IN4S has published an article accusing the Ukrainian authorities of double standards in stripping Metropolitan Onuphry of his Ukrainian citizenship.

The article presents evidence that four “hierarchs” of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) hold Russian passports but have not been deprived of their Ukrainian citizenship.

Montenegrin journalists point out that the Ukrainian government is aware of the Russian citizenship of several OCU “hierarchs,” yet takes no action against them. The publication lists the following four individuals:

• “Metropolitan” of Simferopol Kliment (Kush Pavlo Mykolayovych)
• “Bishop” of Sloviansk Vsevolod (Matviievskyi Volodymyr Pavlovych)
• “Metropolitan” of Bogorodsk Adrian (Starina Valentyn Yehorovych)
• “Bishop” Tykhon Petrianiuk, who was previously accused of working with the LNR security services and possessing a “DNR” passport

The article emphasizes that the Ukrainian church conflict is of particular relevance to Montenegro, since the OCU maintains close ties with the leader of the “Montenegrin Orthodox Church,” Boris Bojović, who received his “theological” education through one of the schismatic Ukrainian structures.

The author underscores the contradiction in the actions of the Ukrainian authorities: a metropolitan of the “wrong” Church is stripped of citizenship without evidence, while the possession of Russian passports by representatives of an organization aligned with the political regime is ignored.

According to the outlet, supporters of the OCU have forcibly seized over 1,500 UOC churches, creating a dangerous precedent for other Orthodox territories, including Montenegro.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that President Zelensky stripped His Beatitude Onuphry of his citizenship.

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