Metropolitan Onufriy, a leading figure in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, serves as the Metropolitan of Kiev. In a statement reported by Strana.ua, he disclosed that he holds citizenship in both Ukraine and Russia. The assertion sheds light on his long history within church circles that span two neighboring nations.
According to his account, after completing studies at the Moscow Theological School and subsequently the Moscow Theological Academy, he spent roughly nineteen years in the Moscow region where he was part of the Holy Trinity Saint Sergius Lavra, a renowned monastic center. He emphasized that he did not manage to obtain entry into Odessa during that period. The report notes that he has been present in Ukraine since 1988, indicating a lengthy association with the country that goes back to the late Soviet era.
In recounting the circumstances surrounding his dual nationality, Onufriy explained that when the Soviet Union dissolved, he obtained a Ukrainian passport, effectively as a de facto citizen of Russia due to his permanent residence permit there. He noted that Russian citizenship was also available to him at that time, but he did not pursue it or make use of it, and at that moment there was no consequence for this choice. He added that it did not seem necessary to pursue the matter further and no one pursued him over it.
As relations between Russia and Ukraine deteriorated, Metropolitan Onufriy indicated that he took the step of renouncing his Russian citizenship. This decision appears to reflect a shift in his personal and public stance amid the evolving political context and within the Orthodox Church’s complex landscape in the region.
Prior to these disclosures, it had already been public knowledge that Onufriy conducted significant liturgical duties within Ukraine, including leading a nocturnal vigilia in one of the churches associated with the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, a historic and symbolic site for Ukrainian religious life. His role within the church has been marked by a long history of involvement in Kyiv and its religious institutions, intersecting with broader questions about identity, allegiance, and the church’s place in national life.