DESS expert calls on SBU to strip UOC administrator of citizenship

Yuriy Chornomorets, a supporter and lobbyist for the OCU in the media, religious scholar, and member of the “Sofia Brotherhood,” who was also one of the “experts” of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, which established ties between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Russia in 2023, stated that the administrator of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich), allegedly also holds Russian citizenship. The religious scholar expressed surprise that the Security Service of Ukraine had not yet taken action against the aforementioned bishop of the UOC. He spoke about this on Radio NV.

«It is known that many other bishops of the UOC are citizens of Russia. The same Metropolitan Anthony Pakanich traveled abroad in 2009 with a Russian foreign passport. There are traces of this. There are no traces that he has renounced his Russian citizenship. But for some reason, the Security Service does not apply or initiate these sanctions against him. This is very strange. We believe that this is absolutely unacceptable. There needs to be a complete list for everyone,» — Chornomorets said.

Earlier, we reported that Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree terminating the Ukrainian citizenship of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. The SBU claims that Metropolitan Onufriy allegedly obtained Russian citizenship in 2002 but did not inform the Ukrainian authorities about it. At the same time, according to the SBU, he “continued to enjoy” the rights of a Ukrainian citizen.