On January 22, 2023, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, in an interview with the YouTube channel Viche, noted that after the Council on May 27, the UOC took the path of autocephaly.

“In fact, we have a technical autocephaly. All other issues must be agreed upon at the pan-Orthodox level. And it is difficult to agree on them in connection with the objective situation, because it is technically difficult even to assemble a pan-Orthodox council,” the priest said.

According to Father Nikolai, “in the situation that exists as of May and beyond 2022, our UOC has done and received everything that could be received and done for the good of the Church, for the service of the Church at the moment.” In particular, the opening of foreign parishes of the UOC became very important.

The clergyman also noted that “there is no name “Moscow Patriarchate” in any canonical and legal documents of either the UOC or the ROC. It’s all made up by journalists. That is, read the documents, and that’s it.”

“We are just fighting myths. This is a problem that people have been divided – this is the Ukrainian church, this is not Ukrainian. We are constantly being “sewn” with politics. If we constantly present church arguments to opponents, then we have one policy,” said Archpriest Nikolai and added that “the war itself refuted this false ideology.”