Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the Order of Merit to Mykhailo Zinkevych, a controversial hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on state awards to mark Ukrainian Statehood Day. Mykhailo Zinkevych, the controversial head of the Volyn Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), was awarded a high state honor—the Order “For Merit,” First Class.”

Decree No. 604/2026, published on the website president.gov.ua, it is noted that the award was granted for “significant contributions to strengthening Ukrainian statehood,” as well as for personal contributions to the development of the country’s public life and the protection of its sovereignty. It is worth noting that the same decree also awarded the Order “For Merit,” Third Class, to Andriy Bukhvak, a cleric of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and director of the “Caritas Zaporizhzhia” Foundation.

As a reminder, on January 29, 2026, during an event marking the 118th anniversary of the Battle of Kruty, Mykhailo Zinkevych , a hierarch of the OCU, sharply criticized Ukrainians who resist representatives of the territorial recruitment centers (TRCs), calling it a “great disgrace.” He emphasized the urgent need for mobilization to defend the country and called for a change in public attitudes toward military service, while also declaring Ukraine’s future as a military state.