Ukraine imposes sanctions on 22 reps of Russian Orthodox Church

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has imposed sanctions on 22 representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian media have reported.

The list of sanctioned persons includes head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Synodal Department for Church-Society and Media Relations Vladimir Legoyda and his deputy Vakhtang Kipshidze, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary, as well as Protopriest Mikhail Gundyayev (a nephew of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia), Protporiest Andrei Tkachyov, Protopriest Artemy Vladimirov, Professor Alexei Osipov of the Moscow Theological Academy, and a number of other people.

The sanctions imply the blocking of the designated persons' assets, a ban on concluding transactions with securities, the transport and transit of resources via Ukraine, and other restrictions.

Six of said persons have been sanctioned for 30 years and the others for five years.