Court extends stay in jail for Sviatohirsk Lavra abbot for another two months

On January 30, 2025, the Sloviansk City District Court of the Donetsk Region extended the pre-trial restraint against the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, Metropolitan Arseny. The bishop was left in jail for another two months, despite the fact that 11 MPs of Ukraine petitioned for the release of Metropolitan Arseny. This was reported by the official website of the Sviatohirsk Lavra.

“The court extended Metropolitan Arseniy’s detention in the Dnipro pre-trial detention center for another 60 days, until March 30. The decision was made ignoring the statements of eleven Ukrainian MPs of different factions who asked to release the abbot of the Lavra on bail or to determine the amount of bail. Lawyers are preparing appeals to overturn the court’s decision,” — the Lavra’s press service reports.

We recall that on January 29, 2025, the Sosnovsky District Court of Cherkasy held a regular hearing in one of the criminal proceedings opened against the head of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv. This time, the court examined the evidence of the parties.