War Veteran Returns Awards to Zelensky Over Persecution of Metropolitan Onuphry

Despite the absence of an official decree on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s website regarding the revocation of citizenship for Metropolitan Onuphry, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) announcement has sparked outrage among Ukrainians. Many believers in Ukraine are not only angered but are also actively protesting against the government’s arbitrary actions.

This move has even turned some of those who fought against Russia against Zelensky. War veteran and volunteer Larisa Brodetskaya, who served as a medic in the 94th Battalion of the 107th Brigade, publicly declared that she is returning all state awards and honors received during Zelensky’s presidency. Her decision was a direct response to reports of Metropolitan Onuphry being stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship.

"You have revoked the citizenship of Metropolitan Onuphry—a hero of Ukraine, a patriot whose prayers uphold this nation... You have also stated in your addresses that all those like Metropolitan Onuphry should lose their citizenship. Well, I personally stand behind every word he has ever spoken, every step he has taken, every action he has made. So you should strip me of my citizenship as well. In deep condemnation of your actions, I am returning all awards and honors received under your rule," she said in a video address, removing her medals on camera.

Brodetskaya hails from the Chernivtsi region, where the Ukrainian Orthodox Church holds significant influence. She is one of the few Orthodox Ukrainians to openly express full support for the persecuted UOC leader.

"With these actions, you are spitting in the face of all Ukrainians. The UOC is the largest religious denomination in Ukraine—and you are spitting in their faces," Brodetskaya stated.

Earlier, world champion boxer Vasyl Lomachenko also voiced support for Metropolitan Onuphry:

"A person may be deprived of a passport, stripped of all earthly things—but never of Love and Faith! His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry is a man placed by the Lord in his position to counterbalance the fight against enemies. ‘A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.’ (Matthew 7:17) Peace to all," he wrote on social media.

Zelensky’s unpublished decree to revoke Metropolitan Onuphry’s citizenship has already become a symbol of the government’s political and moral bankruptcy. This decision has not only struck a blow against millions of faithful for whom the UOC remains a spiritual foundation but has also alienated former regime supporters.

If even those who fought against Russia now see the persecution of the UOC as extending beyond the narrative of a "united Ukraine," it signals a loss of moral legitimacy for the authorities. By embracing repression, Zelensky is losing the trust of former allies. In undermining the Church’s authority, he is also eroding the last remnants of national consensus—a cost that may prove far greater than any decree.