The National Security and Defense Council introduced personal sanctions against ex-Deputy of Ukraine Vadym Novinsky, Vicar of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra of the UOC Petro Lebed and a number of other priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
This is stated in the decree of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
In total, there are ten people on the list of restrictions.
- At the end of November, the SBU conducted a number of searches in churches, monasteries and laurels of the UOC MP, in particular in Kyiv-Pecherska. The series of searches began after a scandal over a prayer service in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, during which parishioners sang the song "The bell is ringing, itʼs ringing over Russia, Matushka-Rus is waking up." The priest was informed of suspicion of this.
- Subsequently, the SBU conducted searches in monasteries in Transcarpathia, in the Mukachevo diocese, in the Ivano-Frankivsk diocese, in the Pochaiv seminary, and in the Ternopil diocese. During the searches, numerous evidences of pro-Russian propaganda and probable cooperation of representatives of the UOC-MP with Russia were found.
- On December 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine instructed the government to submit a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada to ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with Russia in Ukraine. First of all, this will affect the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.