Novynskyi: The trial of Metropolitan Arseniy is a blatant act of reprisal

Metropolitan Arseniy at the hearing. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

Former Member of Parliament of Ukraine and UOC Protodeacon Vadym Novynskyi issued a statement concerning the situation of Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko), abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra.

According to him, persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become a routine instrument of state policy, veiled by slogans about “national interests” and “spiritual independence.”

He recalled that the court had recently ruled to release Metropolitan Arseniy on bail. The hierarch had been under arrest since April 2024, with medical reports confirming the urgent need for treatment due to a serious illness. However, only a few hours after the court’s decision, the SBU handed the metropolitan a new suspicion in another case and immediately returned him to his cell.

The former MP called this a blatant act of reprisal against the hierarch, declaring that the authorities are determined to keep Metropolitan Arseniy behind bars at any cost, in defiance of the law. He believes that the hierarch is being used as a bargaining chip, a tool of pressure on the entire episcopate of the UOC, meant to intimidate those who refuse to bow to the regime.

The protodeacon warned that the time of accountability for these crimes is drawing near, and that such regimes have little margin of endurance. He emphasized that everyone will have to answer – judges, investigators, security officers, and doctors alike. In his words, “no one will be justified by saying they were only following orders, because every person always has the choice to refuse a criminal command.”

The clergyman wished Metropolitan Arseniy spiritual strength, affirmed his continued prayerful support, and pledged to keep informing international human rights organizations about the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the trial of Metropolitan Arseniy has been ongoing for more than a day and a half, with the judge convening sessions even in the middle of the night.

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