Metropolitan Arseniy said in court that he refused to be exchanged and wanted to stay in Ukraine

Metropolitan Arseniy, head of the Sviatogorsk Lavra, said during a court hearing in Dnipro that the law-enforcement agencies offered him an exchange, but he categorically refused to leave the country. He emphasized his deep connection with Ukraine and his flock, and asked the court to allow him to stay for necessary treatment.

According to the press service of the Sviatogorsk Lavra, on November 3, 2025, in his final speech, Vladyka Arseniy said of the pressure to exchange him. «They came to me and said: ‘Sign the agreement — you will be exchanged’. I don’t want that. I want to be here. My flock is here. My brethren are here. Here are my sisters, spiritual children,» the source quoted the Metropolitan’s words.

The hierarch emphasized that his flock also includes servicemen of the AFU. «Here are my boys from the AFU, who have never renounced me, and I will never renounce them, because they are mine,» he said. The metropolitan emphasized that the Ukrainian people for him are the many millions of flock across the country, «for whom I have lived and live, for whom I want to live and serve here.»

In confirmation of his commitment to Ukraine, Metropolitan Arseniy reminded that he has been a clergyman here for 33 years, 30 years of which he has been the Vicar of the Sviatogorsk Lavra. He also denied accusations of his intention to leave the country. In conclusion of his appeal to the court, the vladyka asked to provide him with the opportunity to receive medical care, noting the need for heart surgery in Kiev.

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that the public organization «Olenovka Community», which includes some relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war, published a statement calling to exchange the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Onufry for the AFU servicemen held captive by the Russian side. The organization believes that the revocation of the UOC Primate’s citizenship «opens up the possibility for his exchange».