Metropolitan Vissarion of Ovruch and Korosten Hospitalized After Heart Surgery

Metropolitan Vissarion of Ovruch and Korosten (UOC) has been urgently hospitalized at the Shalimov Institute in Kyiv. According to sources close to the diocese, the hierarch has already undergone a complex heart surgery, but another operation is still ahead. His condition remains serious. The faithful of the diocese are calling for sincere prayers for their archpastor, whom they call a true confessor of the Orthodox faith. This was reported by the Telegram channel “Pershyi Kozatskyi” (First Cossack).

It is known that the Ovruch Diocese was among the first to face persecution after the outbreak of the war. In April 2022, searches were conducted in its buildings, during which law enforcement officers, together with unidentified individuals, seized church literature, threatened the clergy, and pressured priests to «join the OCU.»

In June 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) opened a criminal case against Metropolitan Vissarion under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — «violation of the equality of citizens based on their religious beliefs.» The case was initiated under a typical pretext for such situations — alleged «incitement of interreligious hatred.»

It should also be recalled that on May 15, 2025, the Rivne Northwestern Appellate Commercial Court ruled to transfer the buildings of the St. Basil’s Convent in Ovruch to state ownership. This decision annulled the private ownership rights to an architectural monument of national importance that had been used by the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for more than 19 years.