Ukraine’s Supreme Court Upholds Sentence Against UOC Metropolitan Exchanged for Ukrainian POWs

The Ukrainian Supreme Court has refused to overturn the conviction of Metropolitan Ionafan (Yeletskikh) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), who was previously exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war. The decision underscores the ongoing pressure and legal persecution faced by UOC hierarchs under the current Ukrainian government.

Clergymen currently facing trial in Ukraine are increasingly subjected to harsh sentences and imprisonment, often based on questionable charges and in apparent violation of constitutional protections and civil rights. This pattern was once again evident in the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the verdict against Metropolitan Ionafan, the former head of the Tulchyn Diocese.

The metropolitan had been sentenced to five years in prison. Notably, throughout the legal proceedings, Ukrainian authorities reportedly offered to exchange him for Ukrainian POWs held in Russia—effectively recognizing a cleric as a de facto prisoner of war. Metropolitan Ionafan declined these offers on principle.

His legal defense had petitioned the Supreme Court to annul the previous rulings and send the case back for a retrial. According to his lawyer, the investigation had involved multiple procedural violations, including the improper handling of evidence. The defense also contested the admissibility of linguistic analyses of seized religious literature and forensic examination of the bishop’s computer.

Nevertheless, the Supreme Court concluded that the charges against Ionafan had been proven. These included:

• Part 2 of Article 161 (Violation of citizens’ equality based on race, nationality, or religion),

• Part 3 of Article 436-2 (Justification or denial of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine),

• Part 2 of Article 109 (Dissemination of materials calling for violent changes to the constitutional order), and

• Part 1 of Article 110 (Calls for altering Ukraine’s territorial integrity and state borders).

Had he not ultimately been exchanged in a prisoner swap with Russia, the 75-year-old Metropolitan would likely still be serving his sentence in a penal colony—with little hope for release.

His release was secured following a personal appeal by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. The Patriarch’s intervention proved effective: on June 22, 2024, following negotiations, Metropolitan Ionafan was freed as part of an exchange deal. However, the Ukrainian authorities proceeded with his sentencing, seemingly aiming to brand the cleric as a criminal and alleged “collaborator.”