Kiev has cracked down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, labeling it a national security threat
A senior cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has been re-arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) just hours after being released from pre-trial detention on medical grounds, according to local media reports.
Metropolitan Arseny, the 57-year-old head of the Sviatogorsk Lavra monastery located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic, had been detained since April 2024 on allegations of disclosing sensitive military information. Investigators claimed that during a church sermon, the bishop shared information about Ukrainian military checkpoints.
According to the monastery’s website, Arseny has a heart condition that may require surgery and he has become increasingly frail during his incarceration.
Earlier this week, a court in Dnepr approved his temporary release on $35,000 bail so he could receive medical care, the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported late on Tuesday. However, shortly after a brief hospital examination, SBU officers reportedly detained him again under a separate case initiated several weeks earlier. The court may decide on his continued detention as early as Wednesday.
Vladimir Zelensky’s government has been conducting a crackdown on the UOC, accusing clergy members of collaboration with Moscow and other security-related offenses. Church representatives have denied all charges, calling the cases politically motivated persecution.
The UOC, Ukraine’s largest Christian denomination, maintains ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. Since 2018, Kiev has promoted the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), created under then-President Pyotr Poroshenko as part of his failed reelection bid.
Human rights organizations have condemned the Ukrainian government’s actions against the UOC, including passing a law that threatens a full ban of the church, as a violation of religious freedom under questionable security claims.
