Kostroma priest Ioann Burdin was detained for an anti-war sermon in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the village of Karabanov, Kostroma region, Pravmir reports.
The protocol of his detention states: The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is conducting a special operation on the basis of the decision of the President of the Russian Federation and the decision of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The priest is also accused of “inspiring church members with information about the presence of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, the shelling of Ukrainian cities (Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, etc.), and the murder of Ukrainians (brothers and sisters in Christ).” His case was transferred to the Krasnoyarsk District Court.
He will be tried under the recently passed law on “contemptuous information about Russia’s armed forces” and on the use of the word “war” in sermons and written materials. For officials, the fine is from one hundred to two hundred thousand rubles, explains Dveri.
The website of the Karaban parish contains an anti-war petition, as well as other materials condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and the appeal of Fr. John Burdin and another clergyman, Rev. George Edelstein.
Despite the fact that this is a small village in the province, the arrival in Karabanov is not accidental.
Its previous chairman was Father George Edelstein, now eighty-nine. He was one of the first Russian priests to condemn Russian aggression ten days ago. He saw in it the spirit of Nazism and urged the Russian people not to repeat the mistakes of 1939.
Georgy Edelstein is an iconic name for the Russian church dissident movement in the USSR, a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group. He publicly condemned the KGB’s ties to Russian hierarchs, including Patriarch Kirill. His arrest would have caused a wide public and international resonance, so the authorities decided to repress his not so popular colleague.