Ukraine Places Priest Under House Arrest For Allegedly Justifying Russian Aggression Days After He Cursed Zelensky

A leading Orthodox priest, Metropolitan Pavel, was placed under house arrest by a Ukrainian court on Saturday for allegedly justifying Russian aggression. This comes just days after he allegedly cursed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Pavel, the abbot of Ukraine’s Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, has denied supporting Russia’s aggression and claimed that Ukraine’s action against him was politically motivated. Despite his protests, the court ruled against him, placing him on house arrest for two months and fitting him with an ankle monitor.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to which Pavel belongs has suspected links with Russia, and the UOC’s holy sites have been raided by Ukrainian authorities. Monks at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery have been ordered to leave by March 29th, but they have refused to do so, claiming that the Ukrainian government’s accusations are a pretext to force them out. Supporters of the UOC gathered outside the monastery on Saturday to sing hymns and protest Zelensky’s actions against the church.

Last week, the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights expressed concern over Ukraine’s “state actions against the UOC,” which could be “discriminatory.” As such, the U.N. urged the country to give a “fair trial” to anyone facing charges.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases