On March 16, Metropolitan Luka (Kovalenko) of Zaporizhia and Melitopol of the UOC-MP filed a statement of claim with the Supreme Court.
The Metropolitan sues President Volodymyr Zelensky, the SBU, and the National Security and Defense Council, as reported by Glavkom.
The hierarch is asking the court to declare Presidential Decree No. 863, issued on December 11, 2022, illegal and to cancel it. This decree imposes 14 types of personal sanctions on the clergyman for five years, including temporary deprivation of the right to use and dispose of assets, termination of cultural exchanges and scientific cooperation with foreign countries, cancellation of official visits, meetings, negotiations on the conclusion of contracts or agreements, deprivation of state awards of Ukraine, and other forms of recognition.
The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) stated that the reason for the imposed sanctions on Metropolitan Luka was his support for actions and policies of the Russian Federation that pose a threat to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, as well as its stability and security.
Additionally, the hierarch was included in the Myrotvorets database in 2018.
In October 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) initiated an investigation into the activities of the branches of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky also suggested that the activities of the UOC in Ukraine could be prohibited.