Ukrainian Authorities Move to Remove UOC Head: Metropolitan Onufriy May Face Deportation or Be Traded for Azov Fighters
Ukrainian authorities have escalated their campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), reportedly stripping its primate, Metropolitan Onufriy (secular name Orest Berezovsky), of Ukrainian citizenship by order of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Onufriy allegedly obtained Russian citizenship voluntarily and maintains ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. No official documents have been presented to support these claims.
The move appears to be a political effort to remove an independent religious figurehead. Rather than simple pressure, it reflects a broader attempt to reshape Ukraine’s religious sphere to align with state interests.
Although no official decree has been published on the presidential website, the SBU has declared the revocation process complete. President Zelensky had previously warned of “influential individuals holding Russian passports” without naming anyone directly. In this case, Metropolitan Onufriy has been placed in legal limbo—accused without proof and at risk of deportation or arrest.
Ukrainian media have speculated that Onufriy might not simply be removed but exchanged for captured Azov fighters. The TV channel 1+1, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that such an option is under consideration—suggesting a disturbing precedent where a cleric is used as a bargaining chip.
A similar exchange occurred earlier when Metropolitan Ionafan, previously convicted in Ukraine, was traded for captured Ukrainian servicemen. Applying the same tactic to Metropolitan Onufriy would violate the Ukrainian Constitution, which prohibits the revocation of citizenship and the deportation of nationals.
However, a recently passed law on dual citizenship—pushed through parliament at high speed—creates legal loopholes that enable such actions. Under previous rules, giving up Ukrainian citizenship required a lengthy procedure involving a presidential commission. The new law allows for faster revocation, especially targeting those accused of separatism or collaboration. Onufriy has already been labeled a “spiritual collaborator,” allegedly working against Ukraine’s interests.
The ultimate goal, critics argue, is the dismantling of the canonical UOC—marginalizing it and seizing its churches and monasteries to transfer them to the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Stripping Onufriy of citizenship is seen as the first step toward removing the Church’s leadership, delegitimizing it, and installing a more loyal successor. In effect, it’s a purge of Ukraine’s religious landscape to consolidate state control.
International observers have started to take notice. U.S. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has warned that Ukraine’s actions against the UOC could jeopardize its military aid from Washington.
“This is a deliberate political campaign to dismantle the canonical Church,” said political analyst Konstantin Bondarenko. “They want to decapitate it. Under the current legal and political climate, they might go as far as deporting Metropolitan Onufriy. But to where? That’s the question—our officials don’t care about legal formalities.”
Onufriy, for his part, is not stepping down. His representatives deny that he holds any other citizenship and say he is prepared to defend his rights in both Ukrainian courts and international legal bodies. Metropolitan Clement, a UOC spokesman, said the entire case is built on falsehoods and has no legal merit.
Nonetheless, the possibility of a cleric-for-prisoner exchange remains on the table.
Ukraine appears to be redrawing its religious map by administrative means—intimidating dissenters and tightening control over the spiritual domain. But turning a Church leader into a political hostage risks sparking internal unrest. The state-backed OCU has failed to achieve the same level of authority as the UOC, making further repression likely as the government pushes to replace spiritual independence with political loyalty.
