The accused in both proceedings is Metropolitan Arseniy, superior of the monastery known as the Svyatogirsk Holy Dormition Lavra. They are case No. 243/4706/24 (Part 2 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code: unauthorised dissemination of information on the movement and location of Ukraine’s armed forces) and case No. 243/11154/25 (Parts 1 and 3 of Article 436-2: justifying Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine). According to the register of court decisions, the ruling of 6 December 2025 came in a preparatory hearing that ran on 5 and 6 December.
According to the ruling, the prosecution asked for the merger; the accused objected. The court noted that both proceedings concern one person, the same prosecutor supports the charges in both, the defence lawyers are the same, and a merger would serve an efficient hearing within a reasonable time. The merged proceeding was given the number 243/4706/24.
At the same time, on the prosecutor’s motion, the court extended the Metropolitan’s custody by 60 days — to 3 February 2026 inclusive, with no bail amount set. It rejected the defence’s motion for a milder preventive measure, and refused nine People’s Deputies who had asked to take the Metropolitan on personal surety or to have a bail amount set. According to the ruling, the court found established the risks that he would hide from the court, influence witnesses and experts, obstruct the proceedings in other ways and commit a new offence; it found the risk of destroying evidence unsubstantiated.
According to the ruling, the Metropolitan’s four defence lawyers did not come to the hearing although they had been notified, so on 5 December the court instructed the free legal aid centre to appoint a lawyer; when the appointed lawyer arrived, one of the four joined the hearing by video link. A lawyer for the Metropolitan told Suspilne Donbas that not all participants in the case had been able to join the hearing online; he called the decision unlawful and said the defence would respond in the legal field.
The ruling is for immediate execution; the part on custody can be appealed to the Dnipro Court of Appeal within five days of its announcement. The full text of the ruling was drawn up on 10 December 2025.
Sources: register of court decisions — the ruling (operative part) and the full text of the ruling of 6 December 2025; Suspilne Donbas, 10 December 2025.
