Vadym Novynskyi funds Serbian churches for UOC-MP activities among Ukrainian refugees

Financial support for church networks in the Balkans

UOC protodeacon and sanctioned oligarch Vadym Novynskyi is one of the main donors for UOC-MP structures abroad, and also funds overseas organisations of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to LIGA.net, it is thanks to his funds that Serbian churches in Croatia and Slovenia have become available to UOC-MP priests who conduct services for Ukrainian refugees.

Personal presence and citizenship

In April 2025, Novynskyi, acting in the role of a deacon, participated in an Easter service in Zagreb together with UOC priest Andrii Ivanenko. It is known that Novynskyi purchased real estate near Zagreb and obtained Serbian citizenship at the end of September.

Context of cooperation and narratives

Novynskyi's activities are viewed in the broader context of interaction between the Serbian Church and the ROC. It is also noted that a narrative is being promoted among Ukrainian refugees in the Balkans portraying the UOC-MP as a church suffering persecution from the Ukrainian authorities.