Shevchuk claims Putin wants him dead, Australian media report

Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: press service of the UGCC

On December 22, 2025, the Australian newspaper The Australian published comments by UGCC head Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants him dead.

The article ran under the headline “Putin wants this man dead.” The text says that Shevchuk is “a brave leader who today condemns the Russian tyrant and Putin’s religious leader – Patriarch Kirill.”

The author of the piece sets out Sviatoslav Shevchuk’s biography in detail and also describes the history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

According to Shevchuk, Vladimir Putin wants him dead because he “cannot accept free Christianity, free thought, and liberation from a system of oppression and manipulation.” At the same time, the publication itself notes that there is no evidence of Putin’s intent toward Shevchuk.

“There is no evidence that such a list exists. However, the war in Ukraine has shown how far Putin is prepared to go,” the text says.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Serhiy Dumenko claimed UOC priests were involved in plans to have him shot.

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