Cherkasy, Ukraine, February 10, 2026
Photo: spzh.eu
His Eminence Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has disclosed details of the conviction recently handed down against him by a Cherkasy court.
In a comment to the Union of Orthodox Journalists, the persecuted hierarch said the court imposed the maximum penalty under Article 161 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which concerns incitement of religious hatred. According to him, the sentence includes a fine equal to 500 non-taxable minimum incomes, as well as compensation for the cost of expert examinations carried out during the case.
Met. Theodosy emphasized that the financial penalty is not the main issue. He said the key consequence is the fact of having a criminal conviction, noting that future courts will be required to treat it as an aggravating circumstance. He stated that securing this first conviction was the central aim of the prosecution.
The conviction stems from a sermon delivered in February 2024 concerning the seizure of the Nativity of the Theotokos Women’s Monastery in Cherkasy the previous November. It is the first guilty verdict among four fraudulent criminal cases brought against Met. Theodosy.
“In our conditions, a guilty verdict is, in a sense, a certificate that you are an honest person,” the Metropolitan told the faithful when announcing his conviction.
He has stated that the defense plans to appeal the ruling through all available judicial instances in Ukraine and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights.
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