Moscow Patriarchate church priest jailed for justifying invasion, praising pro-Russian proxies
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The rector of a church in the Vinnytsia diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate was sentenced to two years in prison, the press service of Ukraine’s SBU security service reported on Jan. 30.
The priest called Russia’s armed aggression a "civil war" in Ukraine and praised “DPR” terrorists Alexander Zakharchenko, Givi, and Motorola.
The defendant also shared posts and comments from the Russian Orthodox Church press service, which justified the seizure of part of the territory of Ukraine and glorified the Russian occupiers.
According to the SBU, the priest also regularly posted his own comments, in which he tried to discredit the Ukrainian military and insulted the religious beliefs of other faiths. To disguise his criminal actions, the archpriest wrote on social media under a pseudonym.
The cleric also spread pro-Kremlin narratives during sermons and in personal communications with members of his religious community.
SBU officers tracked down and detained the offender after he tried to avoid justice by moving between various addresses in several regions of Ukraine.
The SBU-initiated examinations confirmed his subversive activities in the interests of the aggressor state.
Based on the collected evidence, the court found the detainee guilty of actions aimed at the violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or the seizure of state power and the justification, recognition of the legitimacy, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
Taking into account his full cooperation with the investigation, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the SBU Office in Vinnytsia Oblast under the supervision of the regional prosecutor's office.
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