In a move that feels ripped from the pages of a Cold War thriller, Ukraine has officially stripped Metropolitan Onufry—head of the largest Christian denomination in the country—of his citizenship. The 80-year-old cleric, long at the helm of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), now finds himself stateless in a country where he once led millions in prayer. The reason? A dusty Russian passport from 2002.
According to Ukraine’s SBU security service, Onufry acquired Russian citizenship more than two decades ago, a technicality President Zelensky’s government has now seized upon in its widening crackdown on the UOC. Though no official decree has been made public, the SBU claims Zelensky has personally revoked Onufry’s Ukrainian citizenship, effectively exiling the man without removing him from his seat.
But make no mistake—this isn’t about paperwork. This is a purge.
For years, the Ukrainian government has been quietly, then not-so-quietly, dismantling the influence of the UOC, citing its historical ties to Moscow as justification. Yet the church has operated de facto independent of Russia since the 1990s. Its only remaining link is a spiritual one—a canonical connection that confers legitimacy in the broader Orthodox world. But even that thin thread is now seen as too much by a regime tightening its grip on every facet of national life, including how its citizens worship.
In 2019, Kiev backed the creation of a rival body, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was quickly blessed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. The move splintered the Orthodox Christian world and sent a clear message: religious unity under Moscow, even symbolic, would no longer be tolerated. Since then, churches affiliated with the UOC have been raided, clergy investigated, and properties seized—often with little more than suspicion and the cheers of nationalist mobs to justify it.
Critics say what’s happening amounts to a religious inquisition with political backing. And the United States, whether knowingly or not, is footing part of the bill. As commentator Tucker Carlson recently pointed out, U.S. support for Ukraine—financial and military—has coincided with increasing religious persecution on the ground, raising troubling questions about what American taxpayers are actually propping up.
The situation grows more surreal by the day. Last year, Ukraine’s parliament passed a law essentially demanding the UOC sever all spiritual ties to Russia or face dissolution. This goes far beyond politics; it’s state-mandated theology. The United Nations and human rights watchdogs have sounded the alarm, accusing Kiev of overreach and outright violations of religious freedom. But few in the Western press have picked up the story, and fewer still seem to care.
Zelensky’s move against Onufry fits a growing pattern: former politicians, journalists, even rival church figures—all stripped of citizenship under the vague pretext of national security. Ukraine may soon legalize dual citizenship, but if you hold a Russian passport, don’t expect voting rights—or your Ukrainian citizenship—to survive.
What’s playing out in Ukraine isn’t just a war over borders or sovereignty. It’s a battle for the soul of the country, and one where faith is collateral damage.
The question is: How far will this go before the world starts paying attention?
