President Zelensky Preaches Hate, Strips Religious Leader of Largest Christian Community in Ukraine of Citizenship

Kyiv, Ukraine, July 8, 2025 – Amsterdam & Partners LLP and its Managing Partner Robert Amsterdam, international counsel to the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), are outraged at the deprival of citizenship of His Beatitude Onufriy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, by presidential decree. This act by President Volodymyr Zelensky represents a grave violation of both national and international legal norms, and marks a dangerous turning point in the Ukrainian government's campaign against the UOC.

The UOC has categorically denied the allegation by the Ukraine’s secret police (SBU) that Metropolitan Onufriy holds Russian citizenship, or any citizenship other than Ukrainian. No evidence has been presented by the SBU or any other institution to support this claim. Metropolitan Onufriy has honourably served the Ukrainian people as a spiritual leader and has never wavered in his commitment to Ukraine or its war effort against Russia. It is precisely because of this commitment that under his leadership, the UOC, which had already been self-governing since the breakup of the Soviet Union, severed all administrative ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. 

This latest action is part of an ongoing effort by the Ukrainian government to dismantle the UOC, using baseless allegations of ties to Russia in order to suppress any independent religious institutions and elevate the state-affiliated Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) as the sole Orthodox body in the country. These actions stand in direct violation of the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and of Ukraine's obligations under international human rights law, and are covered in the White Paper of Amsterdam & Partners LLP’s SavetheUOC.com website.

The practice of stripping citizenship has become a hallmark of President Zelensky’s broader strategy for silencing political opposition. The revocation of Metropolitan Onufriy’s citizenship has now rendered him stateless, in clear violation of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which prohibits depriving a person of nationality if it results in statelessness. This act constitutes a serious breach of Ukraine’s international obligations.

The move signals a new phase in religious repression. Amsterdam & Partners LLP will be engaging at the highest levels with relevant stakeholders, including in the United States, Europe and international institutions to coordinate a firm and principled response.

While we may not share much common ground with President Zelensky’s predecessor, former President Petro Poroshenko, we echo his recent sentiment:

'What Zelensky is doing is no different from Russia.'

Amsterdam & Partners LLP is an international law founded by its Managing Partner, Robert Amsterdam. It is based in Washington, D.C. and London, with a focus on political advocacy and human rights. For more information, visit www.amsterdamandpartners.com, and for media inquiries, please write to contact@amsterdamandpartners.com.