Zelensky signs decree to terminate citizenship of Metropolitan Onuphry

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree terminating the citizenship of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. The Security Service of Ukraine claims that Metropolitan Onuphry obtained Russian Federation citizenship in 2002 but allegedly failed to notify the relevant Ukrainian authorities. According to the SSU, he «continued to exercise» the rights of a Ukrainian citizen. This information was reported with reference to materials provided by the Security Service.

In its statements, the SSU also alleges that Metropolitan Onuphry maintains ties with the Moscow Patriarchate and, according to the SSU, «deliberately opposed» the Ukrainian Church’s acquisition of canonical independence. Furthermore, in official comments, the SSU asserts that the Metropolitan continues to support the position of the Russian Orthodox Church and its head — Patriarch Kirill — even after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Earlier, it was reported that on June 25, 2025, a court hearing took place in Kyiv in a case filed by the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The lawsuit seeks to declare certain provisions of Law No. 3894 unconstitutional. This law is aimed at banning the activities of the UOC. Among other arguments, the Kyiv Metropolis claimed that the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience lacks the authority and expertise to determine whether religious organizations are affiliated with centers located in Russia.