Court arrests Archdeacon Vadym Novynskyi in absentia
The clergyman faces possible extradition and up to 15 years in prison.
On September 15, 2025, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv ruled to place UOC Archdeacon and former MP Vadym Novynskyi under arrest in absentia, the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) reported. In its statement, the archdeacon was labeled a “curator of the ROC in Ukraine.”
He is suspected of state treason and incitement of religious enmity and hatred.
According to the SBI, Fr. Vadym “since the very beginning of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, back in 2014, promoted Russian narratives through media interviews, public speeches, as well as posts on his own website and social networks.”
It is further alleged that “the pro-Russian deputy carried out the instructions of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev), maintained long-term close communication with him and was in his hierarchical subordination, thus acting as a so-called ‘curator’ from the ROC and effectively a representative of a foreign religious organization in Ukraine.”
The SBI claimed that the archdeacon “systematically delivered public speeches exhibiting signs of religious intolerance and hostility.”
His guilt was allegedly proven by “comprehensive forensic psychological and linguistic examinations commissioned by the investigator.”
The maximum penalty for such actions is imprisonment for up to fifteen years with or without confiscation of property.
At present, Fr. Vadym Novynskyi remains outside Ukraine.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the SBI had obtained court approval for access to Novynskyi’s autobiography and diploma.
