Metropolitan Arseniy pressured into urgent heart operation at local hospital
The defense does not rule out an attempt at forced medical intervention or a coerced exchange involving the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra.
On January 5, 2026, it became known that the hospitalization of Metropolitan Arseniy, abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra, was scheduled for January 6 at the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Center for Diagnostics and Treatment, with a heart operation set for January 7, the feast of the Nativity of Christ, according to the Sviatohirsk Lavra’s Telegram channel.
According to the defense, Metropolitan Arseniy is not refusing medical treatment, but believes that undergoing surgery at this clinic is life-threatening. The hierarch insists on receiving care at a specialized medical institution in Kyiv. “The hierarch is not refusing treatment – he is refusing a threat to his life,” one of the lawyers emphasizes.
As the defense notes, the Dnipro clinic does not have the required level of expertise for operations of such complexity. In addition, it is impossible to prepare a body weakened by a year and a half in pre-trial detention for major surgery in just one day. According to the attorneys, the bishop first needs rehabilitation and a comprehensive medical evaluation.
Metropolitan Arseniy agrees to receive medical care and is asking the court to allow him to be hospitalized at the Heart Institute in Kyiv, where doctors with extensive experience work and whom he trusts. “All the more so, there is no reason to expect acceptable medical care from the physicians of the hospital from which Metropolitan Arseniy was expelled on November 3, 2025, with external pressure not even being concealed,” the attorney stated.
Despite medical conclusions submitted to the court, on January 5 Metropolitan Arseniy was forcibly made to give blood for testing. Also, according to the defense, on January 6 his transfer from the detention center to an unknown destination was planned. The defense does not rule out an attempt at forced medical intervention or a coerced exchange involving the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra.
Metropolitan Arseniy has been in custody for more than a year and a half. During this time, the defense has repeatedly reported a sharp deterioration in his health and the need for specialized treatment. Earlier, the attorneys had already pointed to pressure in matters of medical provision for the hierarch and to courts ignoring the medical documents submitted.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the hearings in Metropolitan Arseniy’s case were postponed due to power outages.
