A former cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who defected to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been found to be a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church

In his report, religious studies scholar Nikolai Mitrokhin revealed unexpected details about the future of Vladimir Maglena—a clergyman who had previously left the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. According to the information received, the former cleric currently resides in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, where he serves as a priest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

As the researcher notes, Maglena’s personal social media page contains no mention of his activities in the OCU, but there is a noticeable presence of nostalgic posts about his experience serving in the UOC and the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. “I don’t know what happened there,” Mitrokhin commented on the situation, drawing attention to the priest’s shift in religious affiliation.

Vladimir Maglena’s story has been marked by a series of conflicts. In early 2019, against the will of the parishioners of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Veseloye, he decided to transfer to the OCU, causing the congregation to refuse to follow him. Subsequently, he attempted to serve in Starobelsk but faced a lack of support and the closure of parishes. After moving to Kyiv and participating in media campaigns dedicated to church unification, Maglena disappeared from the public eye for a long time, only to reappear later in the ranks of the Ethiopian Church in Serbia.