Ukrainian court orders house arrest for a Kyiv-based church cleric who is said to have ties with Russia

A church leader based in Kyiv with alleged ties to Russia has been placed under house arrest by a Ukrainian court for two months after being found guilty of glorifying the Russian invasion and causing religious divisions. Metropolitan Pavel, who is the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, which is considered to be Ukraine’s most venerated Orthodox site, has been ordered to wear an electronic bracelet near his ankle. Pavel’s branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was previously loyal to Moscow clergy. He objected to the ankle bracelet, citing his diabetes, but accepted the order and said, ‘Christ was crucified on the cross, so why shouldn’t I accept this?’ The court has ordered Pavel to live in a village about 40 km southeast of Kyiv.

Kyiv has been cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for its supposed pro-Russian stance and connections with Moscow, a charge the church denies. Earlier this week, Pavel cursed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and threatened him with damnation. Since the beginning of 2022, the Ukrainian government has launched criminal cases against 61 UOC clergy, with seven being found guilty. In addition, law enforcement agencies have raided several holy sites of the church and claimed to have found roubles, Russian passports, and leaflets with messages from the Moscow patriarch as evidence that some church officials have been loyal to Russia.

Despite the UOC’s claim of loyalty to Ukraine and condemnation of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian security agencies suspect that some members of the church maintain close ties with Moscow. As a result, many Orthodox communities in Ukraine have severed their ties with the UOC and transitioned to the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine since receiving recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople over four years ago.