A disgraced Russian monk who had barricaded himself inside his monastery with dozens of followers was sentenced to a total of seven years in prison on Friday.
Father Sergiy — whose secular name is Nikolai Romanov — was already serving a 3.5-year prison sentence for inciting suicide, offending religious beliefs and vigilantism.
Moscow’s Babushkinsky District Court on Friday found him guilty of charges of inciting hatred, according to his lawyers.
Video shared by the Ostorozhno Novosti Telegram news channel showed bailiffs placing the monk and his spokesman Vsevolod Moguchev inside a glass defendants’ box.
Sporting a grey beard, a black robe and handcuffs, the defendant could be seen crossing himself from inside the box.
Father Sergiy, a former policeman in the Soviet Union, rose to notoriety at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic after publicly denying the existence of the virus and calling on Russians to resist virus restrictions.
Prosecutors have accused Father Sergiy of trying to encourage several nuns in his convent to commit suicide.
The Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated the monk in 2020.
But the priest refused to surrender the convent where he served in the Ural Mountains, leading Russian police to storm the convent and arrest him that year.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
