UOC Chaplain Oleksiy Kuznetsov Posthumously Becomes an Honored Citizen of Sumy

On May 7, 2025, the clergyman of the Sumy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Oleksiy Kuznetsov, was posthumously awarded the title of “Honored Citizen of the City of Sumy.” This decision was made during an extraordinary session of the city council. The press service of the Sumy Diocese reports this.

The initiative for the award came from Metropolitan Yevlogiy of Sumy and Okhtyrka and the command of the military unit where the clergyman served. “This decision is a sincere recognition of the community, which has not forgotten and will not forget: before them stood a priest who, with word and life, served Christ, the Church, and the people,” the press service of the Sumy Diocese stated.

According to the statement, the feat of Father Oleksiy is primarily a spiritual feat of a true shepherd. He did not abandon his own even in the hour of death, laying down his soul for his friends and fulfilling the commandment of Christ to the end.

Metropolitan Yevlogiy, the clergy, and the entire congregation of the Sumy Diocese expressed their gratitude to the city authorities and the members of the city council for “the dignified honoring of our brother, hero, and priest.”

It is worth noting that on April 24, 2025, while performing pastoral duties in the combat zone, Archpriest Oleksiy Kuznetsov — a clergyman of the Sumy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church — was killed. The priest served as a military chaplain and psychologist in the 252nd separate territorial defense battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.