Novinsky: Stripping Metropolitan Onufriy of citizenship is the start of an operation to "decapitate" the UOC

Vadym Novinsky commented on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decree of July 2 that stripped the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy, of Ukrainian citizenship. According to Novinsky, this decision is based on unreliable documents: “The Security Service of Ukraine presented passport scans allegedly issued in 2002, without expert examination or confirmation of authenticity.” The former MP wrote about this on his official website.

Novinsky believes that the government’s actions are part of a large-scale campaign against the UOC. “The campaign has entered a new phase: it is no longer just about seizing churches and imprisoning clergy, but also about mobilizing priests — specifically from our Church,” he said.

He noted that the revocation of citizenship is not a technical matter but a political move with long-term goals. “This is the first step toward expelling His Beatitude from the country,” Novinsky stated. He spoke of an alleged plan to “decapitate” the Kyiv Metropolis by appointing a temporary locum tenens and convening a controlled synod.

“Zelensky wants a Church managed from the President’s Office,” Novinsky said. He linked the decree to the authorities’ recent failure in Chernivtsi, where they were unable to seize the cathedral: “The authorities decided to resort to extreme measures.”

Novinsky emphasized that Metropolitan Onufriy remains a symbol of fidelity to the Church and a voice for peace. “What is his guilt? That he didn’t betray the faith, that he didn’t put politics above God,” he said.

«Zelensky needs war, hatred, lies and theatrical applause. Zelensky has long ago turned into a source of evil, lawlessness and corruption. His loud statements about striving for “spiritual independence of Ukraine” are hypocrisy. Zelensky and spirituality are incompatible in principle. And today’s actions against the Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church confirm this,» the former MP added.

Addressing the clergy, Novinsky urged unity: “I ask everyone to rally around our Primate. Don’t let the Church be dragged into intrigue.” He also appealed to those under pressure: “Come to your senses. Don’t become like Judas.”

“The Church of Christ has always prevailed. And this time, too, the victory will belong to the Church,” Novinsky concluded.

It is also worth noting that the Ukrainian government continues its legal pursuit of former MP, businessman, and protodeacon Vadym Novinsky. This time, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that he allegedly failed to pay an astronomical tax debt — 4.3 billion UAH. A new criminal case has been opened against Novinsky in connection with these allegations.