The Supreme Court of Ukraine has upheld the legality of the sanctions against the former metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine has issued a final ruling in the case challenging the sanctions imposed on Metropolitan Joseph (Maslennikov), the former head of the Romny Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to Ukrinform, the highest court found the restrictive measures to be lawful and justified.

The court upheld the findings of the Administrative Court of Cassation that the sanctions were applied fairly. The grounds for this decision were “public justification of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression, glorification of individuals participating in hostilities against Ukraine, as well as actions contributing to the incitement of religious schism in society.”

As a reminder, we previously reported that Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovka and Slavyansk, a hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was notified in absentia of his status as a suspect in justifying the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine. According to the investigation, the basis for the charge was an interview the hierarch gave to a Russian television channel, in which he allegedly publicly supported the actions of the occupying forces.