EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian Lobbyist Spreads Inaccuracies, Says Met. Arseniy Has ‘Only Served 6 Months’ in Jail and ‘Deserves Far More’

Metropolitan Arseniy. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of last Wednesday’s emergency call held by the American Coalition for Ukraine, which hosted Julian Hayda – associate director of public engagement for Razom for Ukraine – as a speaker, the lobbyist spread false information about Metropolitan Arseniy and the circumstances surrounding his arrest by Ukrainian authorities.

Hayda said that Metropolitan Arseniy “has served only six months and he is due to be released very soon,” and he argued that the hierarch’s arrest was justified, saying that “giving away Ukrainian military positions deserves far more than six months.”

In actuality, Metropolitan Arseniy has been in state custody for roughly a year-and-a-half, and he is in desperate need of heart surgery while already having stomach cancer. He is denied proper medical treatment, as Ukrainian authorities tell doctors to treat and release rather than admit him to the hospital, because if they admit him, they will lose their jobs.

The homily Metropolitan Arseniy was arrested for was given in September 2023, with his arrest coming months later in April 2024. The bishop serves as abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra, and the homily fell on the eve of the feast of the Holy Sviatohirsk Saints – a very important day for the monastery and for the local faithful. As previous reporting from UOJ states:

“Pilgrims and volunteers were detained and not allowed through the (military) checkpoints without stating reasons. People who waited for 7 hours still couldn't attend the celebration. The Metropolitan says that the checkpoints are located further from the Lavra, in the village of Tatyanka, without mentioning any specific positions.

‘This document check operation (at checkpoints) is scheduled for only two days. Today and tomorrow. They haven't checked before and I think they won't check even after lunch tomorrow. Because their main goal is to block access,’ says the UOC hierarch.

‘It's offensive for our Orthodox people that we've become worse than criminals in our own state, in our own homeland. Therefore, may God, brothers and sisters, help us bear this with prayer, and let us pray for our fellow Christians and for those who were not able to arrive here. This is not our fault. We wish that people could always be able to gather here and pray. I think if these spectacles hadn't been organized, there wouldn't be any problems now," concludes the metropolitan.”

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) saw this as a "veiled disclosure" of the positions of defense checkpoints in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk region. While in pre-trial detention last year, the bishop said:

"I asked the people standing in the cathedral to pray for the situation at the checkpoints to be resolved, and the pilgrims who were not allowed through eventually managed to get to the celebration," said the abbot of the Lavra.

He also talked about the role the Sviatohirsk Lavra plays for Ukraine.

"The Sviatohirsk Lavra is an icon of the unity of Ukraine," emphasized Metropolitan Arseniy. "Pilgrims come to us from different parts of the country, including from the West, for example from Bukovyna. However, I am accused of betraying Ukraine. In addition to the life of prayer, we also engage in social activities. Currently, there are 100 pensioners living on the Lavra's maintenance. In 2015, there were 1,000 refugees in the Lavra, including 470 children and 74 paralyzed people. We provided food to 3-5 thousand people a day, essentially taking on the functions of the state."

"All accusations against me are unfounded and cause me bewilderment," concluded the UOC hierarch.

Metropolitan Arseniy remains in detention to this day. Just earlier this month his stay was extended, which has happened on numerous occasions. In late October, he was released on bail due to concerns surrounding the condition of his health. Upon exiting the detention facility, he was immediately met by SBU agents and re-arrested on a new “notice of suspicion.” At the time, SBU agents said they could hold the hierarch in custody for 72 hours. That was two months ago.

“They had signs yesterday on Capitol Hill saying, ‘Release Metropolitan Arseniy’ with a guy with a beard in a prison cell,” Hayda said. The photo on the sign was Metropolitan Arseniy himself.

“This is not about persecuting Christians – it’s about territory and it’s about foreign influence,” Hayda said in another portion of the call, which was leaked to the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America by a confidential source. “We would not tolerate, for example, under religious freedom grounds, the Taliban operating in the open after 9/11. Ukraine rightfully does not tolerate war crimes or collaboration with the invaders under the auspices of religious freedom. That’s simply absurd – they are in bad faith using a religious freedom argument, and it is up to us to articulate that very well. It is so made for TV, it is so easy for them to make pro-Russian arguments under the guise of religious freedom, and so we have to have these tools.”

Previously, UOJ reported that Hayda told Ukrainian activists to have pastors wear black robes and big metal crosses because Congress won't know the difference.