The court hearing in the case of Metropolitan Arseny has been postponed to June

In Dnipro, the session of the Chechelevsky District Court on the case of Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko), vicar of the Sviatogorsk Lavra, was postponed to June 11, 2026. The reason for the delay were procedural issues related to the change in the composition of the group of prosecutors and motions of the defense.

According to the press service of Sviatogorsk Lavra, initially the hearing was to be held on May 13, but due to the absence of three of the four attorneys for objective reasons and the defense’s complaint about the replacement of prosecutors by the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the court decided to postpone. Metropolitan Arseniy took part in the session via videoconference and had the opportunity to address the UOC faithful who gathered in the courtroom to support him.

According to the Sviatogorsk Lavra press service, on the day of the trial the brothers and sisters of the Lavra sketes performed a cathedral prayer service. During the ongoing trial the court granted a number of requests of the defendant: the Metropolitan is allowed to attend a divine service on his birthday on May 21, 2026, as well as to undergo the necessary medical procedures. It is worth noting that the Metropolitan had previously undergone heart surgery.

Consideration of the petition to relax the restrictions imposed on the hierarch was postponed by agreement of the parties. The next hearing is scheduled for June 11 at 13:00, where the defense plans to raise again the issue of measures of restraint and realization of civil interests of the metropolitan in court proceedings.