Phanar hierarch honors Ukrainian "criminal authority" Petrovskiy

The hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Arseny of Austria, has awarded Ukrainian businessman Oleksandr Petrovskyy with the highest award of the Austrian Metropolitanate – the Golden Cross. The ceremony took place against the background of the delegation’s visit to Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar, which caused a public outcry, as Mr. Petrovsky has a controversial reputation in Ukraine and was previously mentioned in connection with organized crime.

According to the Ukrainian News, on November 20, 2025, Patriarch Bartholomew received a delegation of Ukrainians headed by Oleksandr Petrovskyi at the Phanar. The award was given “for his sincere attitude towards the Archon and the Ecumenical See, and for all his donations to this day, and for his very willingness to help and support us in the future,” the source quoted Metropolitan Arseniy as saying, who also called the businessman “our Archon”. Bishop Maxim (Rudko) of Aristia characterized Petrovsky as “the main benefactor” not only of Ukrainian communities, but of the entire Austrian Metropolis.

It is emphasized that Patriarch Bartholomew is well acquainted with Petrovsky and his longtime business partner Emil Harutyunyan, as they were actively involved in the negotiations to obtain the Tomos on autocephaly for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

At the same time, Oleksandr Petrovskyy’s reputation in Ukraine remains highly controversial. Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko previously stated that “Petrovsky, known in certain circles under the name ‘Narik’, was held on the materials of the Interior Ministry as the leader of an organized criminal group.” In 2019, a scandal erupted in the country after the publication of joint photos of the businessman with then-President Petro Poroshenko and the head of the OCU Epiphany (Dumenko). The subsequent attempt of Petrovsky and Harutyunyan to ban calling them “criminal authorities” through the court ended with them losing the case.

Earlier, the Glavkom newspaper published information about who among the Ukrainian business elites sponsors the activities of the OCU. It is characteristic that a criminal authority and the head of an alcoholic beverage company are among the patrons of the Ukrainian schism.