Media: UOC bishops stripped of citizenship can be deported from Ukraine
The UOC clergy refuse to exchange to the Russian Federation, but the state has a scheme when it can be done without the consent of the person.
The Strana publication, citing its sources within the UOC, states that priests and hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, against whom criminal cases have been initiated, have repeatedly been offered the option of exchange to Russia.
"However, the UOC's position on this matter is clearly negative – they refuse to agree to the exchange. Firstly, the Church's priests are Ukrainian patriots and do not wish to go to Russia. Secondly, such an exchange would set a precedent and open Pandora's box – UOC priests would simply start to be massively seized and thrown into prisons for replenishing the exchange fund. I don't know if Met. Jonathan consented to the exchange. But there is a scheme where consent is not required. It involves stripping a person of Ukrainian citizenship, after which they are deported from Ukraine," notes Strana's source.
Recall that in 2023, Zelensky signed a decree stripping representatives of the UOC from Donetsk, Crimea, Romny, Odesa, and Chernivtsi-Bukovyna dioceses of their citizenship.
List of UOC clergy deprived of citizenship:
Anatoliy Ivanovych Yeletskykh – Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav;
Serhiy Leonidovych Anitsoy – vicar of the Tulchyn Diocese, Bishop Serhiy of Ladyzhyn;
Volodymyr Semenovych Vynychenko – Archbishop Varsonofiy of Novoazovsk (Donetsk Diocese);
Viktor Anatoliyovych Hradomsky – Archpriest Victor, rector of St. Alexander Nevsky Church (Odesa Diocese);
Mykolai Mykolayovych Donenko – vicar hierarch, Bishop Nestor of Yalta;
Valentyn Volodymyrovych Yehorenko – Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna;
Oleksiy Oleksandrovych Maslennikov – Metropolitan Joseph of Romny and Buryn' (Romny Diocese);
Ivan Petrovych Seredny – Metropolitan Iriney of Dnipropetrovsk and Pavlohrad;
Andriy Petrovych Skobiol – Archbishop Amvrosiy of Volnovakha, vicar of the Donetsk Diocese;
Oleksandr Borysovych Taranov – Archbishop Arkadiy of Roven'ky and Sverdlovsk;
Rostyslav Pylypovych Shvets – Metropolitan Lazar of Symferopol and Crimea;
Viktor Serhiyovych Shynkarev – Archbishop Paisiy of Kostiantynivka;
Ihor Fedorovych Yakovenko – Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk, vicar of the Donetsk Diocese, abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra.
As reported by the UOJ, Metropolitan Jonathan's lawyer spoke about the exchange of the bishop to Russia.
