The Prydniprovskyi District Court in Cherkasy has found Metropolitan Theodosius of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church guilty of inciting interreligious hatred and imposed the maximum fine предусмотренный under Article 161 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, according to the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

The hierarch, who serves as Metropolitan of Cherkasy and Kaniv, was convicted over a sermon delivered in February 2024 to nuns of the Nativity of the Mother of God Convent in Cherkasy. The nuns had previously been expelled from the monastery following a dispute over its jurisdiction.

Prosecutors argued that statements made by the cleric contained signs of hostility toward representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The court imposed a fine of 8,500 hryvnias and ordered the metropolitan to reimburse the costs of expert examinations.

Metropolitan Theodosius rejected the ruling, calling the case “politically motivated,” and said he intends to challenge the verdict in appellate and cassation courts, and, if necessary, appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

He stressed that he is concerned less about the amount of the fine than about the fact of conviction itself, noting that this is the first of four criminal cases opened against him. “The main issue is the criminal record. Now all my other courts will be obliged to toughen their decisions against me as a repeat offender. That was the goal of the first trial, and it has accomplished it,” the metropolitan said.

Tensions surrounding parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have intensified in recent years amid a broader church schism and the redistribution of religious communities. Between 2023 and 2025, criminal cases were initiated against several UOC clergy on various charges, including incitement of hatred and undermining state security.

Ukrainian authorities say such measures are necessary to protect national interests, while representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and their supporters describe the actions as pressure on what they call the canonical Church.