UOC priest in Dnipropetrovsk region received a suspended sentence for "pro-Russian sermons"

A court in Dnipropetrovsk Region has sentenced a cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church accused of «supporting Russia’s actions». The cleric was sentenced to three years in prison with a one-year probation period for the content of his sermons, which the investigation regarded as «pro-Russian».

According to the Security Service of Ukraine, the priest’s detention took place in late September 2025. The security services claim that during the liturgies he «praised the Rashists and called on Ukrainians to lay down arms before the enemy». In addition, according to the SBU, the clergyman distributed in Telegram-channels calls for the seizure of Ukraine and recorded his sermons on video for subsequent transmission to Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church in order to «confirm his commitment to the occupiers».

It is noted that the entire process from the moment of detention to sentencing took less than three weeks. During this time, an investigation was conducted, an indictment was drawn up and the case was transferred to the court, which promptly considered it and made a decision. As a result of court hearings, the priest was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment with a probation period of 1 year.

Recall, earlier we reported that the Rakhiv district court of Zakarpattia region passed a sentence on the priest of the Khust diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Archimandrite Venedikt (Khromey), who was tried for «propaganda of the communist regime». As stated in the court verdict, Archimandrite Venedikt created an account on Facebook, with the help of which he «disseminated images of communist symbols and totalitarian regime».