Ukraine revokes citizenship of Russian-linked Orthodox leader

The security services said Metropolitan Onufry had voluntarily acquired Russian citizenship in 2002 and did not notify Ukrainian authorities.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revoked the citizenship of the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Wednesday that the president signed a decree revoking the citizenship of the UOC’s Metropolitan Onufry (whose secular name is Orest Berezovsky). It said he had voluntarily acquired Russian citizenship in 2002 and did not notify Ukrainian authorities.

According to the SBU, Onufry maintains contact with the Moscow Patriarchate and deliberately opposed the UOC’s push for canonical independence from Moscow. It further claims that the Church under his leadership “continues to support the policy of the Russian Orthodox Church and its leadership, in particular Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev)”.

The UOC responded that the Onufry holds only a Ukrainian passport and does not possess any other passports from any other country, including Russia.

Metropolitan Clement, the head of the UOC’s Synodal Information and Education Department, said Onufry “has never requested state authorities of other states to be granted another citizenship”. However, some Ukrainian outlets published what appears to be a scanned copy of Onufry’s Russian passport issued in 2002.

Ukrainian state authorities are expected to make a formal decision on whether the UOC is officially affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate.  Such a ruling would allow the authorities to begin legal proceedings to dissolve its parishes.

Speaking to BBC Ukraine, Ukrainian theologian Cyril Hovorun commented that Onufry’s Russian passport has been known known of for some, raising questions about the timing of Zelenskyy’s decision. Hovorun described it as a “blow” to the top leadership of the UOC – which he called the “triumvirate”. 

“So far, the most pro-Russian member of the triumvirate, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanych), has suffered the least. Why this is so – I also have no answer,” Hovorun said.

In June, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law permitting multiple citizenship. However, under the new rules, holding Russian citizenship could result in the revocation of Ukrainian citizenship. 

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