UOC-MP Metropolitan Onufriy deprived of Ukrainian citizenship

Based on the materials of the Security Service of Ukraine, the citizenship of Ukraine of Orest Berezovsky, Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Onufriy was terminated. This was reported by the SBU press service.

According to the SBU, the relevant decree was signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the time of publication of the news, the document was not published on the website of the Presidential Office.

The SBU established that Berezovsky voluntarily obtained Russian citizenship in 2002. He failed to notify the authorized Ukrainian authorities of this fact. At the same time, he continued to enjoy the status of a citizen of Ukraine after that.

According to intelligence, Onufriy maintains ties with the Moscow Patriarchate and deliberately opposed the canonical independence of the Ukrainian church from Moscow, whose representatives openly support Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Despite the full-scale invasion, Berezovsky actually continues to support the policies of the Russian Orthodox Church and its leadership, in particular Patriarch Kirill (Vladimir Gundyaev).

The SBU reminded that it was Gundyaev who blessed the armed aggression of Russian troops and pursues a propaganda policy of justifying and inciting genocide of the Ukrainian people.

• On June 23, 2025, Malyuk reported that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the SBU has opened 174 criminal proceedings against priests of the UOC-MP. Suspicion notices have been served on 122 clerics, and a guilty verdict has been handed down in 31 cases.
• On June 30, Ukraine convicted in absentia Vasyl Povorozniuk, the sanctioned Metropolitan of the Luhansk Diocese of the UOC-MP, who collaborates with Russians in the temporarily occupied territories. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.