Ukraine's Security Service publishes list of sanctioned individuals from Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has published a full list of the individuals who have been sanctioned by the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC). The list has been approved by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Source: the SSU’s website

Details: The 10 people on the list are representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) or have close links with this organisation:

• Vadym Novynskyi (a cleric of the UOC-MP);

• Pavlo Lebid (Metropolitan Pavlo of Vyshhorod and Chornobyl, the superior of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra);

• Rostyslav Shvets (Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea);

• Volodymyr Udovenko (Metropolitan Platon of Feodosia and Kerch);

• Viacheslav Opanasenko (Bishop Agathon of Koktebel);

• Oleksandr Ovsiannikov (Bishop Oleksii of Dzhankoi and Rozdolne);

• Kostiantyn Chernyshov (Bishop Kalennik of Bakhchysarai);

• Oleksandr Taranov (Archbishop Arkadii of Rovenky and Sverdlovsk);

• Oleh Ivanov (former Metropolitan Yelysei of Izium and Kupiansk);

• Oleksii Maslenikov (former Metropolitan Iosif of Romny and Buryn).

The SSU pointed out that most of these people are currently either in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or abroad.

The individuals on the sanctions lists have undertaken various initiatives, such as: proposing that the dioceses they lead join the Russian Orthodox Church; agreeing to cooperate with the occupation authorities; promoting pro-Russian narratives; and justifying Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.

The restrictive measures imposed on these individuals have a term of five years and will involve the blocking of assets, restriction of trade operations, blocking any removal of funds outside Ukraine, etc. Moreover, all of them have been stripped of any Ukrainian state awards or other forms of recognition.

From now on, these individuals will not be able to obtain ownership of land plots or to privatise state property or intellectual property rights.

Background:

• On 1 December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put into effect personal sanctions against representatives of religious organisations affiliated with centres of influence in the Russian Federation.

• Ukrainska Pravda sources in the President’s team later reported that the NSDC had imposed sanctions on UOC-MP clergy, including Pavlo Lebid, the superior of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and former MP Vadym Novynskyi, who has ties with the UOC-MP.

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