Written by Marcus Orthodoxus, the admin of this blog
Yet it is still not verified who was guilty in this but of course the Russian KGB propaganda and their puppets like the UOJ site blame the Ukraine ''nazis''
Early Russian-aligned reporting exaggerated details (knife mutilation later corrected by forensics to a gunshot), while framing it as proof of systematic Ukrainian assault on the “canonical” Church. This selective outrage ignores the far larger, sustained pattern of persecution by the Moscow Patriarchate and Russian state against Orthodox clergy, monastics, and laity who rejected the war since February 2022.
''Patriarch'' Kirill has repeatedly sacralized the invasion: blessing military efforts, imposing a mandatory “Prayer for Holy Rus” that seeks victory, describing nuclear weapons as God’s grace and divine providence tied to St. Seraphim of Sarov, and publishing works that cast the “special military operation” in metaphysical terms of holy struggle and the defense of “Holy Rus.” Those who refused this line faced ecclesiastical courts, defrocking, suspension, state criminal charges under “fakes about the army” or “discrediting” statutes, administrative fines, forced psychiatric measures, exile, or imprisonment.
Documented cases of Orthodox Christians persecuted for anti-war positions (signing the 2022 clerical peace appeal, refusing the victory prayer, preaching against killing, or publicly criticizing the invasion) number in the dozens to around 50–80 according to monitors such as Christians Against War and researchers including Sergei Chapnin. Below are some of the most prominent, with the core reason for each:
The hypocrisy is stark. Russian state media and Moscow Patriarchate-aligned voices amplify the August 2026 killing of Monk Varsonofiy at Sviatohirsk Lavra as evidence of Ukrainian persecution of Orthodoxy, while systematically silencing, defrocking, fining, jailing, or driving into exile Orthodox clergy, monastics, and laity who reject the war and refuse to treat it as holy.
The same structures that bless the “special military operation,” impose prayers for victory, call nuclear weapons God’s grace, and produce theology justifying the invasion punish those who uphold “Blessed are the peacemakers” and “You shall not kill.”
The monitoring project Christians Against War (shaltnotkill.info), maintained with partners including Christian Vision, documents these cases. As of its July 2026 update the overall list exceeds 140 persons across denominations; the entries below are restricted to Orthodox Christians of all jurisdictions (Moscow Patriarchate / Russian Orthodox Church and its structures, Belarusian Orthodox Church, independent/Apostolic Orthodox groups, ROCOR branches, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and those who transferred). Brief reasons are drawn from the documented records. This is not exhaustive—many quieter reassignments or pressures go unreported—but it is representative and continually updated by the source.
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Belarusian Orthodox Church (under Moscow Patriarchate):
1) Priest Uladzislau Bahamolnikau (Minsk): Anti-war stance and activity.
2)Journalist Yauhien Batura (Minsk): Anti-war publications and related activity.
3) Sviatlana Bazhankova (Homieĺ): Orthodox believer persecuted for anti-war position.
4) Aksana Fiodarava (Minsk): Orthodox believer, anti-war stance.
5) Yauhien Hlushkou (Ziabrauka, Homieĺ region): Orthodox, anti-war activity.
6) Priest Dziyanisi Karastsialou (Minsk): Read aloud a petition “for the soldiers and defenders of Ukraine” after Liturgy; received 14 days’ administrative arrest.
7) Dzmitry Karneyenka (Viciebsk): Orthodox activist/scholar; founding member of Christian Vision; anti-war work.
8) Daniel-Landsey Keita (Minsk): Orthodox believer, anti-war position.
9) Aliaksandr Khikhel (Miadziel, Minsk region): Orthodox, anti-war stance.
10) Tatsiana Kotes (Minsk): Orthodox believer, anti-war activity.
11) Priest Mikhail Marugo (Minsk): Anti-war position leading to pressure.
12) Katsiaryna Mikhailava (Minsk): Orthodox believer, anti-war stance.
13) Aleh Nahorny (Minsk): Orthodox publicist and researcher; detained, forced “repentance” video, administrative arrest after anti-war publications and criticism of Z-ideology.
14) Priest Andrei Nazdryn (Hrodna): Anti-war stance.
15) Anastasia Nekrashevich (Minsk): Orthodox believer, anti-war activity.
16) Archpriest Piotr Prakaptsou (Prybytki, Homieĺ region): Anti-war position; parish linked to other persecuted individuals.
17) Journalist Dziyana Seradzjuk (Minsk): Anti-war journalism and activity.
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Russian Orthodox Church / Moscow Patriarchate structures (Russia and abroad)
1) Hieromonk Afanasy (Bukin) (Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Jerusalem): Anti-war position leading to sanctions.
2) Hieromonk Iakov (Vorontsov) (Almaty, Kazakhstan Metropolis): Signed 2022 peace appeal; criticized ROC support for the war and sought independent structures; suspended, banned, defrocked; later arrested in Kazakhstan on disputed charges, forced psychiatric detention, ongoing prosecution.
3) Priest Dmitry Ostanin (Bergen, Norway): Anti-war stance under ROC.
4) Hegumen Arseny (Sokolov) (Moscow): Anti-war position.
5) Deacon Dmitry Baev (Kirov): Statements refusing participation in services praying for the government/armed forces in the war context; defrocked and placed on wanted lists.
6) Priest Ioann Burdin (Karabanovo, Kostroma oblast): Public opposition from the pulpit; fined for “discrediting” the army; further pressure.
7) Anna Chagina (Tomsk): Orthodox musician/believer; criminal case related to anti-war religious stance.
8) Aleksander Dąbrowski (Bryansk oblast): Anti-war position.
9) Andrei Drugai (Krasnodar): Anti-war activity.
10) Elizaveta Emelyanova (Moscow): Orthodox believer, anti-war stance.
11) Deacon Arkady Fomin (Syktyvkar, Komi): Anti-war position.
12) Priest Iliya Gavryshkiv (Tver oblast): Anti-war stance.
13) Vitaly Goriachikh (Chita): Anti-war activity.
14) Cyril (Kirill) Hovorun (Moscow origin): Public theological criticism of the war and ROC alignment; pressure and exile-related consequences.
15) Nikita Ivankovich (Moscow, reader): Anti-war conversations/activity; detained with related charges.
16) Aleksander Ivanov (Kaluga): Anti-war stance (including related online activity).
17) Maksim Kalinin (Moscow, theologian): Anti-war position.
18) Pavel Kichula (Vyazma, reader): Anti-war activity.
19) Priest Konstantin Kokora (Moscow): Anti-war stance.
20) Vitaly Koltsov (Moscow): Anti-war position.
21) Priest Vladimir Korolev (Tula): Refused to allow Sunday-school children to sew camouflage nets or raise funds for the war; removed.
22) Priest Peter Korotaev (Ivanovskoye, Moscow oblast): Anti-war position.
23) Priest Ioann Koval (Moscow): Replaced “victory” with “peace” in the mandatory Prayer for Holy Rus; denounced, defrocked; fled and received under Ecumenical Patriarchate.
24) Priest Kirill Krainyuk (Leningrad oblast): Anti-war stance.
25) Sergey Krivonos (Voronezh): Orthodox believer, anti-war activity.
26) Priest Gleb Krivoshein (Kazan): Signed the 2022 clergy peace appeal (signature ~51).
27) Priest Andrey Kudrin (Moscow): Read a prayer for reconciliation of the peoples of Russia and Ukraine instead of the official victory prayer.
28) Archdeacon Andrey Kuraev (Moscow): Public criticism of the war and ROC support; designated foreign agent, repeated fines, canonical pressure; exile.
29) Priest Vladimir Kuzmitsky (Srednyaya Akhtuba, Volgograd region): Anti-war position leading to deposition.
30) Archpriest Andrey Lorgus (Moscow): Anti-war stance.
31) Ksenia Luchenko (Moscow): Orthodox journalist; consistent anti-war writing and coverage of persecuted clergy; forced to leave Russia; designated foreign agent.
32) Lyubov Lukashenko (Moscow): Orthodox believer, anti-war activity.
33) Archpriest Andrey Lvov (Ivanovo): Signed 2022 peace appeal; left ROC for independent community; defrocked for “schism”; later foreign-agent designation.
34) Evgeniya Mayboroda (Shakhty, Rostov oblast): Orthodox believer, anti-war stance.
35) Lidia (Lida) Moniava (Moscow): Founder of children’s hospice “Lighthouse”; Telegram posts criticizing the war and noting civilian suffering; previously fined for “discrediting”; detained and charged under “fakes about the army” laws (2026).
36) Priest Maksim Nagibin (Krasnodar Krai): Anti-war position.
37) Grigoriy Okhanov (St. Petersburg; later Ecumenical Patriarchate, Antalya): Anti-war interviews/statements; administrative fine; left ROC.
38) Igor Orlovsky (Krasnoyarsk): Orthodox believer, anti-war activity.
39) Priest Vadim Perimenov (Kuibyshev, Novosibirsk region): Anti-war stance.
40) Priest Nikolai Platonov (Chelyabinsk): Signed early peace appeal; left Russia under pressure.
41) Denis Popovich (Moscow, reader): Anti-war activity; detained with related charges.
42) Vasily Razumov (Yaroslavl): Orthodox believer, anti-war stance.
43) Priest Sergiy Rybakov (Samara): Anti-war position.
44) Priest Nikolai Savchenko (St. Petersburg): Arrested (including over older social-media content linked to anti-war context).
45) Deacon Sergey Shcherbyuk (Samara Oblast): Anti-war stance.
46) Grigory Sheyanov (Moscow, doctor/believer): Anti-war activity.
47) Mikhail Simonov (Moscow, pensioner/believer): Criminal sentence related to anti-war religious opposition.
48) Priest Sergey Titkov (Ryazan): Anti-war position.
49) Andrei Tsapkalenko (Khabarovsk): Anti-war activity.
50) Archpriest Alexey (Aleksei) Uminsky (Moscow): Refused to recite the Prayer for Holy Rus; suspended then defrocked (2024); later ministry under Ecumenical Patriarchate.
51) Priest Pyotr Ustinov (Chelyabinsk): Anti-war stance.
52) Andrei Voronin (Glokhovo, Nizhny Novgorod region): Anti-war position.
53) Archpriest Alexander Vostrodymov (Dimitrov, Moscow oblast): Anti-war stance.
54) Priest Alexey Vtulov (Podolsk district, Moscow oblast): Anti-war position.
55) Andrey Zubov (Moscow): Orthodox believer/historian, anti-war activity.
56) Archpriest Andrey Kordochkin (Madrid, Spanish-Portuguese Diocese; later Ecumenical Patriarchate, Netherlands): Public opposition to the invasion; banned from ministry and effectively forced out.
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Other Orthodox jurisdictions / independent structures
1) Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko (Association of Orthodox Communities of the Apostolic Tradition / AOC, St. Petersburg area): Leadership in independent Orthodox structure critical of the war; administrative and related prosecutions.
2) Hegumen Tikhon (Sokolovsky) (formerly ROC Vologda; later APOAT, St. Petersburg): Anti-war sermons, memorial for Navalny, refusal of war prayer; forbidden from preaching/confession; left ROC; defrocked for “schism.”
3) Evgeny Bestuzhev (Orthodox Apostolic Church, St. Petersburg): Believer, anti-war activity.
4) Archbishop Viktor (Pivovarov) (Orthodox Church of Russia, Slavyansk-on-Kuban): Condemnation of the invasion; administrative then criminal prosecution.
5) Hieromonk Iona (Sigida) (Orthodox Church of Russia, same area): Related anti-war opposition and prosecution.
6) Monk Hilarion (Shatkovsky) (ROCOR(A), Belgorod oblast): Anti-war position leading to consequences.
7) Hieromonk Ioann (Kurmoyarov) (ROCOR(A), St. Petersburg): YouTube videos stating aggressors would not enter heaven and Christians must oppose the war; defrocked by MP earlier; arrested 2022, sentenced to 3 years under “fakes” law; released after serving time, left Russia.
8) Hieromonk Nikandr (Pinchuk) (ROCOR(A), Verkhoturye): Anti-war religious opposition; administrative then criminal cases.
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Lithuanian clergy (formerly Moscow Patriarchate diocese, later Ecumenical Patriarchate):
Priests Georgy Ananiev, Vitalis Dauparas, Archpriest Vitalijus Mockus, Archpriest Vladimir Seliavko, Priest Gintaras Sungaila, Deacon Georgy Tseburevkin (Vilnius area)—punished for anti-war statements and refusal to align with the war line; several transferred jurisdictions.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (occupied territories examples):
Archimandrite Feognost (Pushkov), Archpriest Konstiantin Maksymov, Archpriest Volodymyr Saviysky—pressure or persecution linked to positions in occupied areas.
Orthodox Church of Ukraine (occupied territories examples):
Priest Andrii Chui, Priest Khristofor (Khrimli)—related cases under occupation.
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These individuals—priests who changed one word in a prayer, monastics who preached the Gospel against killing, journalists and hospice founders who named civilian suffering, signatories of the 2022 peace appeal—paid real prices: defrocking, bans, fines, criminal sentences (including multi-year prison terms), forced psychiatric measures, exile, or ongoing prosecution. Meanwhile the Moscow Patriarchate continues to frame the war in salvific language and selectively publicizes violence against UOC sites when it serves the narrative.
Truth-seeking requires consistency. Condemn the unresolved murder of Monk Varsonofiy. Equally condemn the systematic persecution of Orthodox Christians who refuse to call aggression holy. The record compiled at shaltnotkill.info makes the double standard impossible to ignore.
See here for the full list: https://shaltnotkill.info/persecution-of-christians-by-religious-and-state-authorities-for-anti-war-stance-or-support-of-ukraine-in-defence-from-aggression/
Lithuanian clergy (formerly Moscow Patriarchate diocese, later Ecumenical Patriarchate):
Priests Georgy Ananiev, Vitalis Dauparas, Archpriest Vitalijus Mockus, Archpriest Vladimir Seliavko, Priest Gintaras Sungaila, Deacon Georgy Tseburevkin (Vilnius area)—punished for anti-war statements and refusal to align with the war line; several transferred jurisdictions.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (occupied territories examples):
Archimandrite Feognost (Pushkov), Archpriest Konstiantin Maksymov, Archpriest Volodymyr Saviysky—pressure or persecution linked to positions in occupied areas.
Orthodox Church of Ukraine (occupied territories examples):
Priest Andrii Chui, Priest Khristofor (Khrimli)—related cases under occupation.
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These individuals—priests who changed one word in a prayer, monastics who preached the Gospel against killing, journalists and hospice founders who named civilian suffering, signatories of the 2022 peace appeal—paid real prices: defrocking, bans, fines, criminal sentences (including multi-year prison terms), forced psychiatric measures, exile, or ongoing prosecution. Meanwhile the Moscow Patriarchate continues to frame the war in salvific language and selectively publicizes violence against UOC sites when it serves the narrative.
Truth-seeking requires consistency. Condemn the unresolved murder of Monk Varsonofiy. Equally condemn the systematic persecution of Orthodox Christians who refuse to call aggression holy. The record compiled at shaltnotkill.info makes the double standard impossible to ignore.
See here for the full list: https://shaltnotkill.info/persecution-of-christians-by-religious-and-state-authorities-for-anti-war-stance-or-support-of-ukraine-in-defence-from-aggression/