Metropolitan Anthony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) was convicted of inciting religious hatred
Metropolitan Anthony of Makariv, Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), was sentenced for inciting religious hostility and hatred.
The court sentenced him to two years in prison, which was commuted to a two-year probationary period, according to the text of the verdict.
The court also banned him from holding leadership positions in religious administrations and dioceses for two years.
The case was heard in connection with events on May 22, 2022, when Metropolitan Anthony, then head of the Khmelnytskyi and Shepetivka Diocese of the UOC-MP, delivered a sermon in a church.
According to court documents, the sermon contained calls that showed signs of incitement to violent actions and confrontation with representatives of other denominations, particularly the OCU.
Part of the sermon was recorded on video, which was later shared on social media.
In court, the metropolitan did not admit guilt. He stated that he did not remember the circumstances of the sermon due to the passage of time, but if he had offended anyone, he asked for forgiveness.
He also claimed that he had spent his entire life calling for peace, and that the video could have been edited or created using artificial intelligence.
The court completely rejected the defense’s argument regarding possible editing or the use of AI, noting that:
In May 2022, the use of relevant technologies to create such a video was impossible in the given context.
During the trial, the court examined testimony from clergy members, video recordings of the sermon, and the findings of linguistic expert analyses.
Experts concluded that the speech contained signs of incitement to religious hostility, as well as indirect calls for confrontation.
Some witnesses confirmed that the metropolitan spoke emotionally and used harsh language that could be perceived as calls to action against members of other faiths.
At the same time, other witnesses asked the court to take into account the defendant’s advanced age—he is currently 79 years old.
Despite the verdict, the court exempted the metropolitan from serving actual prison time, imposed a two-year probationary period, required him to report any change of residence or employment, and prohibited him from leaving Ukraine without permission from the probation authority.
The investigation began after two citizens filed a complaint, stating that the metropolitan’s sermon “stokes religious hatred and sows discord in society during Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Earlier, a court in Khmelnytskyi ruled to return 1.79 million hryvnias to the former head of the Khmelnytskyi Diocese of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Anthony (Vasyl Fiyalko).
The Chechelivsky District Court of Dnipro released from custody the vicar of the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Arseniy (Igor Yakovenko). The court changed his preventive measure to round-the-clock house arrest until April 25, 2026.
