U.S. congresswoman says U.S. involvement in release of Metropolitan Arseny from pre-trial detention center

The hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko) of Sviatogorsk, has been released from a detention center in Ukraine after a series of negotiations between US lawmakers and Ukrainian officials. The office of Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who had pushed for the transfer of the hierarch for medical care, reportedly played a key role in the process.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna stated on social media X that her office worked purposefully to free the overlord. The main reason for the intervention was the need for the Metropolitan to undergo urgent heart surgery that could not be postponed. As a result of the agreements reached, the UOC hierarch was able to be released to receive the necessary treatment.

In his official statement, Luna thanked Ukrainian officials for their cooperation in this matter. It is worth noting that the lawyers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church also expressed gratitude to American politicians for their contribution to the release of the Metropolitan. Earlier, a number of Greek media outlets published publications indicating that the decision of the Ukrainian authorities was a direct consequence of diplomatic pressure from the United States.

We will remind, earlier we reported that in Dnipro the session of the Chechelevsky district court on the case of the vicar of the Svyatogorsk Lavra Metropolitan Arseny (Yakovenko) was postponed to June 11, 2026. The reason for the delay was procedural issues related to changes in the composition of the group of prosecutors and motions of the defense.