On 18 December, a court in Krasnodar Region in southern European Russia fined an independent Orthodox priest the equivalent of at least several weeks' average local wage for allegedly expressing "overt disrespect" for society, state bodies, and state symbols. The precise grounds for this prosecution are unclear, but appear to be connected with articles which Hieromonk Iona Sigida published on his church's website, for which he is also under criminal investigation.

Investigators lodged four administrative cases against 34-year-old Fr Iona at Slavyansk City Court on 8 December. One is for "discreditation" of the Russian Armed Forces (Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1), the others for disseminating information expressing "overt disrespect for society, the state, official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, or bodies exercising state power in the Russian Federation" (Administrative Code Article 20.1, Part 3). He is next due to appear, before different judges, on 23 December 2025 and 14 January 2026 (see below).

It is unknown which publications form the basis of the four cases, or why the Investigative Committee or police have deemed it necessary to charge Fr Iona with administrative offences at the same time as conducting a criminal prosecution against him (see below).

On 20 November 2025, the Investigative Committee opened two cases against Fr Iona under Criminal Code Article 354.1, Part 4, apparently for articles he posted on his church's website criticising the way Victory Day (9 May) and other Soviet holidays are marked. Slavyansk City Court placed him under house arrest until 20 January 2026 (see below).

Forum 18 wrote to Krasnodar Region Investigative Committee, the Krasnodar Region branch of the Interior Ministry, and the Slavyansk police, asking them:
- to clarify what the grounds are for the four administrative cases against Fr Iona;
- and whether the criminal cases against him remain open.
Forum 18 has received no response (see below).

Krasnodar Region Investigative Committee also did not reply to Forum 18's earlier questions:
- which materials from the church website investigators are using as the basis for their prosecution cases;
- and why they have banned Fr Iona from leading worship services (see below).

In September, a St Petersburg court fined Grigory Okhanov, now a priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, 10 days' average local wage under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1. Fr Grigory, who left Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, gave two interviews to independent Russian media outlets in which he condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Moscow Patriarchate's support for it. "It is possible that this is a war against Satanists, only the Satanists are clearly on this side, not that side", he commented to TV2's Eyewitnesses project (see below).

St Petersburg City Prosecutor's Office did not respond to Forum 18's question why the expression of religious views on the war is deemed to be discreditation of the Armed Forces (see below).

"Even open and peaceful statements made by a clergyman within the scope of his ministry and pastoral responsibility can become the target of prosecution," the Peace to All group – which supports anti-war Orthodox clergy and which has followed Fr Grigory's case - noted in September (see below).

Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko of the Apostolic Orthodox Church succeeded on 6 November in having his conviction under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 overturned in a cassational court. The cassational court judge sent the case back for a new hearing at the appeal level. The Archbishop is due to appear again at St Petersburg City Court on 26 January 2026. He was fined 10 days' average local wage on 1 April 2025 for a video he had posted on Telegram, in which he describes the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "unmotivated, aggressive armed actions" and draws an analogy with the Biblical parable of the Gadarene swine (see below).

Criminal, administrative convictions for opposing Russia's war on religious grounds

Since February 2022, courts have sentenced four people to imprisonment and fined three on criminal charges for opposing Russia's war against Ukraine on religious grounds. Investigators have also opened four criminal cases against people who have left Russia, and have placed them on the Federal Wanted List.

Most recently, the Investigative Committee charged exiled Orthodox journalist Kseniya Luchenko with "Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for reasons of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or for reasons of hatred or enmity against any social group" (Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraph d).

The retrial of Buddhist leader Ilya Vasilyev is due to begin on 25 December 2025 at Preobrazhensky District Court, according to the Moscow court system's online portal. In October, Moscow City Court overturned his conviction under Criminal Code Article 207.3 ("Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"), Part 2, Paragraph d ("for reasons of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or for reasons of hatred or enmity against any social group") on technical grounds. The City Court sent his case back for re-examination.

Protestant pastor Nikolay Romanyuk is still awaiting transfer to a prison colony to begin his 4-year sentence after Moscow Regional Court upheld his conviction for "Public calls to implement activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation, or to obstruct the exercise by government bodies and their officials of their powers to ensure the security of the Russian Federation" (Criminal Code Article 280.4) "with the use of his official position", and – because the 2022 sermon for which he was prosecuted was livestreamed and uploaded to YouTube – "with the use of mass media, or electronic, or information and telecommunication networks, including the internet" (Part 2, Paragraphs b and v).

Individuals also continue to face prosecution under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation") for opposing the war in Ukraine from a religious perspective.

Ever-increasing internet censorship has seen websites and materials blocked for: "extremist" content; opposition to Russia's war against Ukraine from a religious perspective; material supporting LGBT+ people in religious communities; Ukraine-based religious websites; social media of prosecuted individuals; and news and NGO sites which include coverage of freedom of religion or belief violations.

The Justice Ministry has also added 13 religious leaders and activists to its register of "foreign agents", largely for reasons related to their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Krasnodar Region: Orthodox priest faces four administrative prosecutions

On 18 December, Slavyansk City Court in Krasnodar Region found Fr Iona (Ilya) Sigida (born 7 February 1991) guilty of disseminating information which expresses "overt disrespect" for society, state bodies, and state symbols. Judge Vladimir Otroshko imposed a fine of at least 30,000 Roubles. A fine of 30,000 Roubles represents about two weeks' average local wage.

Fr Iona is already facing criminal charges for a possibly related offence of "overt disrespect for society about days of military glory" (Criminal Code Article 354.1, Part 4), apparently for articles he posted on the website of the Holy Intercession Tikhonite Church in Slavyansk-na-Kubani.

Fr Iona is a hieromonk in an independent Orthodox church led by Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov, who has himself faced both administrative and criminal prosecution for his condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is not in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate.

On 8 December 2025, Slavyansk City Court registered four administrative cases against Fr Iona – one under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1 ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"), the other three under Administrative Code Article 20.1, Part 3. The Court assigned the cases to different judges, according to court records.

Administrative Code Article 20.1 punishes "Petty hooliganism" – Part 3 covers "Dissemination on information and telecommunications networks, including the Internet, of information which expresses in an indecent form, which insults human dignity and public morality, overt disrespect for society, the state, official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, or bodies exercising state power in the Russian Federation, with the exception of cases provided for in Article 20.3.1 of this Code, if these actions do not constitute a criminally punishable act". Conviction under Part 3 carries a fine of 30,000 to 100,000 Roubles.

A fine of 100,000 Roubles represents about six weeks' average local wage.

It is unknown which materials form the basis of the four administrative charges, or why Fr Iona is facing administrative prosecution at the same time as a criminal investigation. "Maybe [police or investigators] want to meet their quota by the end of the year and start more cases. Who knows?", a church member based outside Russia commented to Forum 18 on 9 December.

It appears that investigators' focus remains on the church's website https://eshatologia.org. Investigators recently visited the home of a parishioner and questioned her about her participation in publishing materials on the website, the church member outside Russia told Forum 18. They confiscated her electronic devices, but do not appear to have opened any administrative or criminal case against her. The website's contents, which vanished on 27 November (although the site itself still opens), have not reappeared.

Fr Iona and Archbishop Viktor posted articles on the church website until summer 2024. As well as discussing theology and liturgy, these writings often critically assessed aspects of Russian history and present-day society from a religious perspective.

Forum 18 wrote to Krasnodar Region Investigative Committee, the Krasnodar Region branch of the Interior Ministry, and the Slavyansk police on 15 December, asking them:
- to clarify what the grounds are for the four administrative cases against Fr Iona;
- and whether the criminal cases against him remain open.
Forum 18 had received no response by the middle of the working day in Krasnodar Region of 19 December.

Slavyansk City Court has scheduled two hearings for Fr Iona on 23 December 2025, one for the Article 20.3.3, Part 1 case before Judge Natalya Kovalchuk, the other before Judge Viktoriya Statva for the second charge under Article 20.1, Part 3. On 14 January 2026, Judge Nikolay Mironenko is due to hear the final case under Article 20.1, Part 3.

Krasnodar Region: Orthodox priest also facing criminal investigation

Fr Iona Sigida is currently under investigation on two charges of "Dissemination of information expressing overt disrespect for society about days of military glory and commemorative dates of Russia associated with the defence of the Fatherland, as well as desecration of symbols of military glory of Russia, insult to the memory of defenders of the Fatherland or humiliation of the honour and dignity of a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, committed publicly" (Criminal Code Article 354.1, Part 4).

Parishioners believe the cases to be based on articles Fr Iona wrote on the church's website about Soviet holidays, in particular, Victory Day (9 May).

National Guard troops arrested Fr Iona at his church on 27 November. During his interrogation, they or Investigative Committee officials forcibly shaved his hair and beard, beat him, and shocked him with a stun gun, Fr Iona stated after his release. On 28 November, Slavyansk City Court placed him under house arrest until late January 2026.

Forum 18 wrote to Krasnodar Region Investigative Committee on 1 December to ask:
- which materials from the church website investigators are using as the basis of their prosecution cases;
- and why they have banned Fr Iona from leading worship services.
Forum 18 had received no response by the middle of the working day in Krasnodar Region of 19 December.

Fr Iona was first fined under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 in November 2023 for an article entitled "The cult of war". Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov was fined under Article 20.3.3 in March 2023, then under Criminal Code Article 280.3 for repeat "discreditation" in April 2024.

Viktor Ivanovich Pivovarov (born 8 February 1937) was ordained a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), which opened parishes inside Russia in the early 1990s. In 2006, he became an Archbishop in the Russian [Rossiyskaya] Orthodox Church (RosPTs), which was founded after a series of splits within ROCOR. He now leads a rival branch of RosPTs which he established in 2009 after a further split. It is not in communion with either other parts of ROCOR or the Moscow Patriarchate.

St Petersburg: Another Orthodox priest fined for "discrediting" Armed Forces

On 24 September 2025, Nevsky District Court in St Petersburg found Fr Grigory Sergeyevich Okhanov guilty for having condemned Russia's war in Ukraine from a religious perspective. Judge Anna Volgina fined him 30,000 Roubles (about 10 days' average local wage) under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1. St Petersburg City Court upheld this decision on 2 December.

Prosecutors based their case on two interviews Fr Grigory had given to Govorit NeMoskva in autumn 2024 and TV2 Media's "Eyewitnesses 24/02/2022" project in late 2022. At the time of the 2022 interview, Okhanov – then a lay reader - was living in St Petersburg.

In her conclusions, seen by Forum 18, Judge Volgina drew attention to the latter interview. In this interview, Okhanov said that "The main traditional values [the Russian government] is interested in are violence and power. And money. Very traditional values. Everything else is just a cover", "One of my close relatives was mobilised. Of course, I'm very worried about him, because he could die, because he could become a murderer", and (when asked about the view of some Moscow Patriarchate clergy that the invasion is a war against Satanism) "It is possible that this is a war against Satanists, only the Satanists are clearly on this side, not that side. This is a disgusting statement, and the Church will definitely have to address it".

Judge Volgina decided that, with these comments, Fr Grigory was expressing "an opinion about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces on Ukrainian territory, distorting the true meaning and goals of the special operation".

Fr Grigory is a former reader and youth worker in the St Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), and previously served as chair of the Kerygma Association of Orthodox Youth Communities in the city. He left Russia for Turkey in December 2022 and was ordained as a priest in the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Police officers approached Fr Grigory at St Petersburg's Moscow Station in August 2025, while he was on a short visit back to Russia. They handed him a summons to appear at a police station for the drawing up of the administrative protocol against him, the Peace to All Telegram channel reported on 24 September. Fr Grigory returned to Turkey before his case reached court.

(TV2 Media was an independent television station whose broadcasting licence the state media regulator Roskomnadzor withdrew in 2015. Roskomnadzor blocked its website in March 2022 for its anti-war content. TV2 now runs the "Eyewitnesses 24/02/2022" project, which documents life in Russia and Ukraine since Russia's invasion. Govorit NeMoskva is an independent online media outlet which focuses on news stories from outside the capital. Roskomnadzor blocked its website inside Russia in March 2024, and the Justice Ministry added it to its registry of "foreign agents" in November 2024.)

Prosecutors viewed the YouTube video of Okhanov's Eyewitnesses interview in their office on 14 July 2025 with the "representative of the public" (a church layperson, according to Peace to All) who had drawn it to their attention, according to the written verdict, seen by Forum 18.

"The prosecutor's office has effectively equated the moment an interview is viewed with the moment a violation is committed. This means that the violation of the law occurs not at the moment the statement is made, but when officials decide to see and document it," Peace to All commented on 24 September. "Thus, the authorities themselves perceive their role not as a defender of rights, but as an instrument of repression: an act of power does not record an event, but produces it."

It appears that this is why Fr Grigory faced prosecution in 2025 for things he had said in 2022 and 2024, although the statute of limitations for Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 is 90 calendar days. In her verdict, Judge Volgina notes the fact that the interview could be accessed in July 2025 "indicates the ongoing nature of this offence".

Forum 18 wrote to St Petersburg City Prosecutor's Office on 24 November to ask why the expression of religious views on the war is deemed to be discreditation of the Armed Forces, and why Fr Grigory Okhanov was prosecuted for interviews given long after the 90-day statute of limitations for Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 had expired. Forum 18 had received no response by the middle of the working day in St Petersburg of 19 December.

Darya Lebedeva of the St Petersburg court system's press service confirmed to Forum 18 on 17 December that the 90-day statute of limitations period is considered to begin from the moment an offence is detected – and so, in this case, from the day the "representative of the public" watched the video in the prosecutor's office.

St Petersburg: "Everything is based on lies. As an Orthodox Christian, I couldn't accept this"

In his 2022 interview with TV2, Grigory Okhanov describes how he used to be "a convinced Putinist" who supported Russia's annexation of Crimea and the position of "fighters for independence" in the Donbas region of Ukraine, but changed his opinions after 2014.

"I began to follow events closely, the violence that was unfolding out of nowhere, and realised that something was wrong. And then I rethought my position and adopted opposition views," Okhanov told TV2.

"Everything is based on lies. As an Orthodox Christian, I couldn't accept this. For a long time, I believed that our government was reasonable, genuine, honest, Christian, and that it couldn't lie. It simply didn't fit in my head – how could they falsify elections? How could they say one thing, then say another tomorrow? In 2014, I realised this, and my views changed dramatically. The main traditional values they're interested in are violence and power. And money. Very traditional values."

"I'm terrified to see how the patriarch and many priests in Russia support what's happening [in Ukraine]", Okhanov commented on Russia's full-scale invasion of 2022. "They're literally blessing soldiers to kill, they're collecting so-called humanitarian aid. In reality, it's just uniforms for those who have gone to fight in Ukraine. It's disgusting. But there are many decent people who do not support this. Some of them speak out, others silently observe what's happening. But at least they're not participating, and that's a very honourable position".

Okhanov also discussed the "mainstream" Orthodox view that war is permissible as long as it is "a just, defensive war":

"Of course, the Russian government is trying to portray what's happening as a defensive war. But that seems very strange, because how can you wage a defensive war on foreign territory if one way or another you're the one giving the order to attack, and there's no evidence whatsoever that an attack on Russia was actually being prepared? This is absurd. For Ukraine, this is a defensive war, I believe, and it's a just war. For Russia, this is not the case."

Asked by TV2's interviewer how he felt about "statements by famous clergymen that this is a war against Western values and Satanism", Okhanov replied that "It is possible that this is a war against Satanists, only the Satanists are clearly on this side, not that side. This is a disgusting statement, and the Church will definitely have to address it. I think this will happen in 50 years, I hope."

In her 24 September decision, Judge Anna Volgina noted that "Discreditation is defined as deliberate actions aimed at undermining trust in something, its authority, or its image", and concluded that Okhanov's interviews had been "clearly aimed at undermining trust in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, at forming a negative attitude towards the special military operation conducted by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens [and] maintain international peace and security, and at discrediting their use for these purposes".

Judge Volgina cited four statements in particular from the TV2 "Eyewitnesses" interview: about the Russian authorities' "traditional values", about the war being "defensive" for Russia, about the war being against "Satanism", and Okhanov's expression of concern for a mobilised relative: "Of course, I'm very worried about him, because he could die, because he could become a murderer."

Explaining her decision, the Judge noted that public support for activities protecting Russia's interests and "international peace and security" "serves as a manifestation of the constitutional principles of mutual trust between society and the state, the protection of the dignity of citizens and respect for the work of defenders of the Fatherland, the balance of rights and responsibilities of citizens, and political and social solidarity".

Expressing negative views of these activities, Judge Volgina added, "may, especially given their cumulative effect, have a negative impact on the implementation of relevant measures and decisions, reduce the decisiveness and effectiveness of the execution of assigned tasks by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and other state bodies, [and] the motivation of military personnel and other persons directly involved in this, and thereby, in fact – even without directly pursuing this very goal – assist forces that oppose the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, hindering the maintenance of international peace and security".

"The case of Fr Grigory Okhanov illustrates how a mechanism of administrative pressure is being developed in modern Russia against those who speak out on issues of war, faith, and human dignity", Peace to All stated on Telegram on 24 September. "Even open and peaceful statements made by a clergyman within the scope of his ministry and pastoral responsibility can become the target of prosecution."

St Petersburg: Orthodox priest's "discreditation" case sent back for re-examination

On 1 April 2025 at St Petersburg's Nevsky District Court, the same Judge who had found Fr Grigory Okhanov guilty, Anna Volgina, also found Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko guilty of "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces because he had condemned Russia's war in Ukraine from a religious perspective. He received a 30,000 Rouble fine (about 10 days' average local wage) under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1. This was upheld on appeal on 26 August.

On 6 November, however, the 3rd Cassational Court in St Petersburg overturned the appeal court's ruling on technical grounds and sent the case back for re-examination at the appeal level. St Petersburg City Court has scheduled the first new appeal hearing for 26 January 2026, according to its website.

St Petersburg City Court rejected the Archbishop's original appeal without consideration on 12 May 2025. It ruled that the order appointing his lawyer to the case did not grant the lawyer the power to lodge an appeal on his behalf. The cassational court Judge, Yelena Maltseva, decided that the lawyer did in fact have this authority. Although the City Court later accepted and considered a resubmitted appeal, Judge Maltseva ruled that, as its initial rejection "cannot be recognised as lawful and justified", its subsequent appeal decision (upholding Archbishop Grigory's conviction and fine) must be overturned.

In a video he posted on his Telegram channel in March 2022, Archbishop Grigory described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "unmotivated, aggressive armed actions", commented that "all citizens of the Russian Federation" will have to suffer "the most severe defeat in history, military, economic, but most importantly moral", and drew an analogy with the Biblical parable of the Gadarene swine.

At the first-instance court, Judge Volgina concluded that this was "aimed at undermining confidence in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, at forming a negative attitude towards the special military operation", according to the written decision, seen by Forum 18.

Grigory Aleksandrovich Mikhnov-Vaytenko (born 3 September 1967) is leader of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, which was founded in 2000 by Gleb Yakunin (whom the Moscow Patriarchate had defrocked and excommunicated after he published information on the Soviet-era links between it and the KGB). It is not in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Archbishop Grigory has consistently opposed Russia's war against Ukraine and helped Ukrainian refugees inside Russia. In July 2024, the Justice Ministry named him a "foreign agent". (END)

More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia

For background information see Forum 18's Russia religious freedom survey

Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments

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