Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stripped Metropolitan Onufriy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), whose secular name is Orest Berezovsky, of his Ukrainian citizenship.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.
‘The SBU has established that Berezovsky (Onufriy) voluntarily obtained Russian citizenship in 2002. He did not inform the authorised authorities of Ukraine about this. At the same time, he continued to enjoy the status of a citizen of our state,’ the statement said.
Berezovsky maintains ties with the Moscow Patriarchate and has deliberately opposed the canonical independence of the Ukrainian church from the Moscow Patriarchate, whose representatives openly support Russian aggression against Ukraine.
‘It was Gundyaev (Patriarch Kirill) who blessed the armed aggression of Russian troops and is pursuing a propaganda policy of justification and incitement to genocide against the Ukrainian people. At the same time, by supporting the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation, he contributes to the criminal activities of the political leadership of the aggressor country,’ the SBU added.