Lazar Shvets

Shvets was born in Komarin, Volyn Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union on 22 April 1939.^[1] He entered the Dormition Zhirovitsky Monastery as a teenager.^[2] In 1957, he entered the Minsk Theological Academy. From 1958 to 1961 he served in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

He held a number of titles throughout his life, including Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea (1992–2023),^[3] head of the Crimean Metropolis (2022–2023)^[4] and Rector of the Taurida Theological Seminary (2006–2022).^[5]

In 2012, Ukraine awarded him the Badge of Honor "For Loyalty to Duty" (3 July 2012, Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine).^[6]

Shvets died on 17 January 2026, at the age of 86.^[7]