Karlovy Vary revoke honorary citizenship of Russian priest expelled from Czechia

Karlovy Vary city councilors have revoked the honorary citizenship of Nikolai Lishchenyuk, a former Orthodox priest at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Lishchenyuk, a Russian citizen, was expelled from Czechia in 2024 over suspicions of hostile activities, including supporting separatist movements within the EU. He had been granted honorary citizenship in 2020 for contributions to the restoration of the Orthodox church in Karlovy Vary. However, his later ties to pro-Kremlin structures and praise for Patriarch Kirill, a supporter of Russian aggression against Ukraine, led to his expulsion and the revocation decision.