“Expressed his opinion on the territory of the UOC monastery”: In Cherkasy, a man was tried for “justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation”

The Cherkasy District Court tried a Ukrainian citizen for “justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.” According to the investigation, the “crime” took place on the territory of the St. Onuphrius Monastery of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Chubiyivka. This was reported by the regional publication VyCherpno.

As established by the investigation, on September 22, 2024, while on the territory of the monastery, the man said during a conversation:

“They are provoking… Then they will say that Russia attacked. These fascists will now attack the civilian population and say that it is not Ukraine…”

In another fragment of the conversation, he said:

“It would be better if they didn’t shoot down [the drones]. Then there would be no war.”

Later, on September 29, 2024, in another conversation on the same territory, the defendant again justified Russian aggression, stating in particular:

“They are fighting among themselves. Everyone there is unanimous. They are fighting for Orthodoxy.”

The defendant pleaded guilty. He explained that he “fell under the influence of hostile Russian propaganda on the Internet and sincerely repented.” The court decided not to isolate him from society, but to sentence him to five years’ imprisonment with a probation period of three years.

In addition, the court ordered him to:

• read patriotic literature, in particular Ilovaisk, Donetsk Airport, Angel with a Machine Gun on His Shoulder, etc.;
• provide written reflections on each book of at least 200 words;
• notify probation of any change of residence and appear periodically for monitoring.

Earlier, we reported that the Security Service of Ukraine in the Ternopil region announced the sentencing of a Ukrainian citizen, a resident of Dnipropetrovsk, who was detained last year during a pilgrimage to the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra. The woman is charged with spreading “Kremlin narratives” and justifying the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.