Three court hearings were held in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday in connection with the case of Metropolitan Arseny (Yakovenko), the abbot of Sviatohirsk Lavra, who has been accused by Ukrainian authorities of “supporting Russia.” The proceedings were reported by the official website of the Sviatohirsk Lavra.

In the morning, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court considered a defense appeal against the alleged unlawful detention of the hierarch, while another hearing in the Sobornyi District Court focused on the question of pre-trial restrictions. Later in the day, the Shevchenkivskyi court reviewed an additional complaint filed by the defense.

The hearings followed a disrupted court session on October 30, which was delayed several times—first because Metropolitan Arseny was not brought to the courtroom, and later due to an air-raid alert. Late that evening, the cleric reportedly suffered a health episode, with doctors recording high blood pressure and providing emergency care.

According to the Union of Orthodox Journalists, Metropolitan Arseny had been released from pre-trial detention on bail on October 28. However, moments after leaving custody, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained him again and took him to the investigative department. His lawyers claim they were not informed about the arrest, and that the metropolitan spent the night in a temporary detention facility.

Metropolitan Arseny, who has been in custody for more than a year and a half, told the court that he views the charges against him not as a personal accusation but as a test for the nation.

“I am not defending myself; I am defending what is good in Ukraine. Right now, we are taking an exam in humanity and conscience,” he said.

On November 1, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), led by Metropolitan Onufriy, issued an open letter to President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for an end to the prosecution of Metropolitan Arseny and for immediate medical assistance.

The letter stated that Arseny suffers from serious heart conditions and requires urgent surgery, which he has not received while in detention. The bishops emphasized that under his leadership, the Sviatohirsk Lavra became a refuge for thousands of displaced persons and a center of humanitarian aid.

“A fair and compassionate resolution of this case will be a sign of the strength of the Ukrainian state and its moral maturity,” the appeal read.