Zelensky Strips Ukrainian Citizenship from Head of UOC (MP) Onufriy

According to glavcom.ua: According to information received from the Security Service of Ukraine, President Zelensky signed a decree stripping Metropolitan Onufriy of his Ukrainian citizenship, who is known for his activities in the UOC (MP). It is reported that Onufriy acquired Russian citizenship in 2002 without informing Ukrainian authorities.

The Security Service indicates that Onufriy has ties to the Moscow Patriarchate, which denies the canonical independence of the Ukrainian church from the Russian Orthodox Church. It is also known that the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, is considered a country-aggressor.

According to additional materials from the Security Service, Onufriy and other priests of the UOC (MP) hold Russian citizenship. This information became known after a journalistic investigation published in April 2023. Despite attempts to deny his Russian citizenship, Onufriy acknowledged its existence but claims he does not consider himself a citizen of Russia.

This decision may have significant consequences for the church situation in Ukraine and for relations between Ukraine and Russia in the religious sphere.