On the morning of June 7, the police came to search the place of the former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Ioann Kurmoyarov. They seized all of the Father’s technical equipment, two icons, his inner cassock and a wooden cross. Ioann himself was accused of “dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation motivated by hatred” (article 207.3, part 2, sub-paragraph d). The trial took place the next day, and the priest was sent to the “Kresty” detention center until August 6, 2022.

What triggered the arrest was a video, in which the priest criticized the “special operation” from the Christian point of view. The investigation especially disliked the part where Ioann claimed that the Russian soldiers who die in Ukraine will go to hell. The cleric, in no uncertain terms, accused the Russian Army of aggression.

This was not the first time Ioann Kurmoyarov voiced his opposition to the secular and religious authorities. In June 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church banned Ioann from performing services after he criticized the Ministry of Defense Cathedral (though subsequently the ban was lifted). Later Ioann launched a complaint with the Investigative Committee against Sergey Shoigu (the Russian Defense Minister) because he found the murals in the Ministry of Defense Cathedral offensive.

The conflict between the priest and the authorities did not end well. In April 2022, Ioann was permanently defrocked for criticizing the “special operation”. He remained a priest with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA). During the first two months after his arrest Ioann will remain in “Kresty”.

The priest’s lawyer and family say the investigators may put pressure on him in an attempt to elicit an admission of guilt. Lawyer Leonid Krikun wrote that for a long time he was not allowed to see his client. You can help Ioann and his family by spreading the word and by sending him a letter to the detention center. The priest will stay here until February 28, 2023.

"Memorial"* recognized Mr. Kurmoyarov as a political prisoners.