Dnipro Court Extends Detention of Metr. Arseniy for 60 Days
A Dnipro court extended Metr. Arseniy’s detention despite defense appeals citing serious health risks, while allowing future hearings to be livestreamed.
DNIPRO, UKRAINE — The Chechelivskyi District Court of Dnipro on January 20–21 extended the pretrial detention of Metr. Arseniy of Sviatohirsk, abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, for an additional 60 days, until March 22, 2026. The decision followed a motion by the prosecutor, while the defense sought a non-custodial measure and urgent hospitalization, citing the hierarch’s serious heart condition.
Metr. Arseniy, who participated in the hearings online, denied the charges against him and emphasized the need for heart surgery. A Kyiv professor of medicine testified remotely that the Metropolitan requires comprehensive examination and inpatient treatment in specialized clinics, arguing that prescribed medications are harmful and that proper diagnostics are impossible in detention.
The court rejected emergency hospitalization but approved the defense’s request to livestream future hearings. Supporters from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church attended the proceedings, while defense attorneys announced plans to appeal the ruling.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Metr. Longin called on Ukrainians to defend imprisoned Metr. Arseniy.
