"For propaganda in Telegram": Court upholds imprisonment sentence for cleric of Vinnytsia Eparchy of UOC

On February 18, 2025, the Vinnytsia Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of Archpriest Yevhen Koshelnik, a cleric of the Vinnytsia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The priest was accused of “spreading pro-Russian propaganda” on Telegram and sentenced to 5 years in prison. This is reported by Suspilne.Vinnytsia.

It is reported that in the motions, the defense raised the issue of changing the verdict of the court of first instance in terms of the sentence imposed. They asked to establish a three-year probationary period.

“I have always recognized Russia’s aggression and do not justify the murder. I realize that I was wrong. When I distributed the video, I did not see any malice and did not know at the time that my actions were illegal,” — the priest said during the appeal.

However, the appellate court did not take into account the arguments of the defense and the clergyman’s repentance for the crime, leaving the sentence unchanged.

We recall that on December 17, 2024, the Kalynivka District Court of Vinnytsia Region sentenced Archpriest Yevgeny Koshelnikov, a priest of the Vinnytsia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The court found the priest guilty of “justifying Russian aggression” against Ukraine and “spreading Russian narratives” on Telegram. The priest was sentenced to 5 years in prison.