UOC archimandrite tried again in Transcarpathia

On March 13, 2025, the Rakhiv District Court of the Transcarpathian region handed down another sentence to Archimandrite Venedikt (Khromey), a priest of the Khust Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This time, the clergyman was accused of allegedly taking possession of a land plot and illegal construction. Archimandrite Venedikt was fined 60 thousand hryvnias. He wrote about this on his Facebook page.

“Today, the Rakhiv court found me guilty in the second criminal case and imposed a fine of 60,000 UAH. I told the court, and I also declare to the SBU that I will not change my Orthodox faith and canons, no matter how much you persecute and judge me. Although they say that they are not judging me for my faith, we all understand well that there is a reason and a pretext. Thank you to everyone, everyone, everyone who was there for me, who sincerely prayed for me,” – Archimandrite Venedikt wrote.

Earlier, we reported that the Rakhiv District Court of the Transcarpathian region sentenced Archimandrite Venedikt (Khromey), a priest of the Khust Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who was tried for “propaganda of the communist regime.” As stated in the court’s verdict, Archimandrite Venedikt created a Facebook account, through which he “distributed images of communist symbols and the totalitarian regime.”