Metropolitan Arseniy Held in Custody for the Second Time Without Any Court Ruling

As of July 21, the preventive detention of Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk (abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra) has expired, yet he remains unlawfully imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center (SIZO) with no valid court decision in place. The measure has neither been officially extended nor replaced. This was reported by the Sviatohirsk Lavra’s official channel.

Defense efforts to intervene in the process have been unsuccessful: on July 17, Judge Tetyana Khaustova of the Sloviansk City District Court gave the floor to the prosecutor to present a new motion without considering the defense’s requests. On July 18 and 22, Deputy Chief Judge Ivan Falin dismissed motions to recuse Khaustova — without informing the defense or ensuring their participation.

On July 21, another hearing was held in the absence of Metropolitan Arseniy’s legal team. During the session, both the bishop and a nearby attorney experienced health issues due to the conditions of detention — seven hours in an unventilated cell without food, water, medication, or fresh air.

On July 23, lawyers filed a petition with the Chechelivsky District Court in Dnipro demanding the immediate release of the hierarch. His continued detention without a valid court decision is being viewed as a blatant violation of the law by state authorities.

It is also worth noting that a recent report by the Austrian think tank ABC Political Studies highlighted the Ukrainian government’s sustained and systematic pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which, despite persecution, remains one of the country’s largest religious communities.