In Vinnitsa region “for justifying Russian aggression” a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is on trial

On October 1, 2024, the Kalynivka District Court held a preparatory hearing in a criminal case brought against a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the rector of the UOC church in the village of Liulintsy, Vinnytsia region, Archpriest Yevgeny Koshelnik. The priest is accused of justifying Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine through social media. This is reported by the official website of the Kalynivka District Court.

“During the preparatory court hearing, the issue of applying a preventive measure against the accused in the form of house arrest was decided. According to the indictment, in 2024, having previously downloaded a mobile application, he registered a personal account in the Telegram messenger, which he later used to justify the actions of the armed forces of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, claiming that the Russian army was conducting a special military operation to protect the Russian-speaking population of Donbas,” — the court’s press service said in a statement.

Earlier, we reported that the Smelyansky District Prosecutor’s Office of Cherkasy region sent an indictment to the court against a 51-year-old priest of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the prosecutors, the priest distributed graphic images with communist content on social media.