The trial of Metropolitan Longin of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Chernivtsi region has been postponed due to his medical treatment in Romania

The Herzaevsky District Court of Chernivtsi Oblast decided to postpone the court hearing in the case of Longin (Zhara), Metropolitan of Banchen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, until August 26. The reason for the postponement was the bishop’s inability to participate in the proceedings, as he is undergoing medical treatment in Romania. The metropolitan’s attorney explained that his health—he has heart problems—had deteriorated during his stay abroad. This was reported by and cvnews.cv.ua.

During the online broadcast of the hearing, Judge Nadezhda Kostishin asked why Metropolitan Longin had left Ukraine despite knowing the scheduled date of the hearing; however, the defense was unable to provide specific details regarding the timing of his return. It is worth noting that the trial in the bishop’s case has been repeatedly postponed in the past for various reasons, including the need to secure an interpreter from Ukrainian to Romanian and poor health, which led to a temporary suspension of proceedings.

Metropolitan Longin is accused of inciting interreligious hatred. According to the Security Service of Ukraine, in his sermons the bishop made statements that “could have offended the feelings of believers of other faiths and heightened tensions between communities, in particular by speaking negatively about the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU)”. The bishop himself and his attorneys categorically deny the charges, insisting that the criminal case be dismissed and asserting that the metropolitan’s words were not directed against specific church organizations or clergy. If found guilty, he could face restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to five years.

As a reminder, the Sosnovsky District Court of Cherkasy previously decided to extend the pretrial measure in the form of a personal commitment for Metropolitan Feodosy (Snigirev) of Cherkasy and Kaniv. The corresponding ruling was issued on July 30, 2026, and will remain in effect until September 30, 2026.