Sviatohirsk Lavra reports on new detention of Metropolitan Arseniy

Metropolitan Arseniy. Photo: the press service of the Sviatohirsk Lavra

On October 28, 2025, Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk was released from the pre-trial detention center on bail, but just seconds after his release, he was re-arrested by SBU officers, reports the press service of the Sviatohirsk Lavra.

They reported that on October 23, the Dnipro Court of Appeal decided to release the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra on bail of 1 million 514 thousand hryvnias. The bail was made on October 27.

On October 28 at 16:59, Metropolitan Arseniy was released from the pre-trial detention center, despite the fact that the defense had not yet provided documents confirming the bail payment. Upon release, the bishop did not have any money or means of communication with him. He was immediately surrounded by SBU officers, who took the archbishop to the investigator of the Second Directorate of the SBU in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

SBU officers justified the detention, saying that the suspect, in their opinion, might flee to avoid criminal liability.

When Bishop Arseniy was detained, his lawyers were not present, as they were not informed of the release time. Upon learning of the incident, two of the metropolitan's lawyers arrived at the SBU department. They submitted a petition to the investigator for the immediate release of the bishop, stating that the arrest was unfounded and illegal. However, the petition was denied. From the time of the arrest until midnight, the bishop remained at the SBU department.

At midnight, the metropolitan was taken to the emergency hospital in Dnipro. A cardiologist, without interviewing the patient and measuring blood pressure, concluded on the go that Metropolitan Arseniy did not require hospitalization. The archbishop then underwent a check at a psychiatric hospital for the presence of alcohol and narcotics in his body.

At 1:20 a.m., the metropolitan was brought to temporary detention facility No. 1 of the Main Directorate of the National Police of the Dnipropetrovsk region. There was a queue at the entrance to the detention facility, so for 1.5 hours, Bishop Arseniy was in a car with SBU officers without access to basic amenities. Around 3:00 a.m., he entered the detention facility, where bureaucratic procedures took about an hour. At 4:00 a.m., the metropolitan was placed in a cell.

As reported, on October 29, 2025, a court was scheduled to determine the measure of restraint for Metropolitan Arseniy on new charges.

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