Russian Foreign Ministry demands Metropolitan Pavlo’s release 

The Russian Foreign Ministry said this in the statement.

"We demand the immediate release of Metropolitan Pavlo and the provision of appropriate medical assistance to him," the message reads.

The Ministry said that they were "deeply worried" about his fate and that his stay under arrest with a bracelet is "an image of a martyr for the faith."

In a statement, the ministry accuses the government of Ukraine of trying to "destroy the Orthodox faith" and declares that Metropolitan Pavlo "selflessly defends the faith and his monastery." The Russian Ministry also called Ukraine's view on the role of the UOC "incomplete".

In addition, Russia accused the US of so-called "ignoring the oppression of the believers’ rights."

"We are outraged by yet another brutal act of arbitrariness against the UOC, and concerned about the fate of the monks and priests of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, who are under threat of physical and moral persecution. They are promised a place in the Lavra if they renounce their faith and join the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine", the statement says.

• On the evening of Saturday, April 1, 2023, the Kyiv city court reached a decision on  24-hour house arrest of Metropolitan Pavlo of the UOC (MP) based on the results of a closed session.