Russian monk arrested in Greece for three-year illegal stay on Mount Athos

A Russian clergyman who had been living illegally in a monastery on the holy Mount Athos for almost three years was arrested and convicted in Greece. After the sentence, which included imprisonment and a large fine, he opted for deportation to his home country.

The incident took place at the Macedonia airport in Thessaloniki. According to Orthodox Times with reference to protothema.gr, the Russian citizen was detained during a document check while trying to fly to Moscow via Istanbul. The check revealed that his legal stay in the country had long since expired.

According to the authorities, the monk arrived in Greece on January 15, 2022 and was supposed to leave the country by February 28 of the same year. However, on March 1, 2022, he received a three-day permit to visit Mount Athos and remained there, residing at the St. Panteleimon Monastery, also known as the «Russian Monastery.»

The case was tried in court under a simplified procedure. The man was found guilty and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of €5,000 without the possibility of a suspended sentence. Under the new legislation, he was offered the choice of serving his sentence or leaving the country. The convict chose to return to Russia, where he was headed at the time of his arrest.

In his testimony, the cleric pleaded guilty, explaining his act by explaining that in 2022 he could not find a ticket to return and decided to stay on Mount Athos. «I thought that when I finally left, I would just pay the fine and there would be no other consequences. I did not know that this is a crime,» he said, adding that he wants to return home to his daughter.

We will remind, earlier we reported that the head of the PCU Epiphany Dumenko made his first pilgrimage visit to the Holy Mountain Athos. During the four-day trip, he visited six of the twenty monasteries, where he was received by the abbots and brethren. The visit took place against the backdrop of ongoing disputes over the canonical status of the PCU, so the delegation did not receive an official reception from the Holy Synod, the governing body of Mount Athos, as is customary for visits by the heads of canonical Orthodox Churches.