Slovyansk, Donetsk Province, Ukraine, March 31, 2025
Photo: rbk.ru
Ukrainian courts have extended the detention of His Eminence Metropolitan Arseny of Svyatogorsk of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church yet again.
With this latest extension, through the end of May, Met. Arseny, who is also the abbot of the Holy Dormition-Svyatogorsk Lavra, will be in custody for more than a year and forced to spend his second Pascha without the divine services.
The hierarch was initially 
UOC bishop-abbot faces years in prison for sermon mentioning roadblocks, monastic brotherhood respondsThe Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) detained His Eminence Metropolitan Arseny of Svyatogorsk, the abbot of the Holy Dormition-Svyatogorsk Lavra, yesterday. According to a court ruling, he is to be held in a pre-trial detention center for 60 days without the possibility of bail.
“>detained in late April 2024, just before Holy Week. He is being held on absurd charges, accused of supposedly revealing Ukrainian army positions to Russian troops via a homily from September 2023 in which he mentioned a roadblock checkpoint that was preventing pilgrims from reaching the monastery. Video of the homily was only published days later, after the roadblock had already been removed. His initial detention was set for 60 days, but the court has continually extended it.
Met. Arseny’s defense lawyers argued for a reduction in the preventative measure against him, but the prosecutor requested another two months on his detention, which the courts accepted, the Svyatogorsk Lavra reports.
As at previous court sessions, 11 Ukrainian Parliament members from various factions provided statements regarding their willingness to take Met. Arseny on surety, but the courts have repeated ignored these statements.
His Eminence’s lawyers are preparing appeals to overturn this latest decision.
Prayers are requested for Met. Arseny and the brotherhood of the Svyatogorsk Lavra.
To support the Lavra in its legal defense of Met. Arseny, you can make a donation with the following details:
Privat 4149439029037565
monobank 4441111032960886
PayPal: lazlavr@gmail.com
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