Source: www.forum18.org
Date: September 5, 2025
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Victoria Arnold, Forum 18
Protestant pastor Nikolay Romanyuk has become the first person to be
convicted of "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" for criticising Russia's war against
Ukraine from a religious perspective. Others have been jailed on different
specific charges for opposing Russia's war from a religious perspective.
On 3 September, Balashikha City Court in Moscow Region sentenced
63-year-old Pastor Romanyuk to 4 years' imprisonment in a general-regime
labour camp, plus a 3-year ban on administering websites. Pastor Romanyuk
intends to appeal to Moscow Regional Court, though his daughter states that
"we all understand perfectly well that there will be no fundamental
changes" (see below).
At present, Pastor Romanyuk remains in the pre-trial detention centre in
Noginsk where he has spent the more than ten months since his arrest in
October 2024 (see below).
Lawyer Anatoly Pchelintsev, who was representing a defence witness, called
the sentence "unjustifiably cruel and unfair" (see below).
Specifically, prosecutors accused Pastor Romanyuk of calling on others to
obstruct the work of military registration and enlistment offices in a
sermon he gave at Holy Trinity Pentecostal Church in September 2022, on the
first Sunday after the announcement of "partial mobilisation". In the
sermon, which was livestreamed, Pastor Romanyuk said that Russia's invasion
of Ukraine was "not our war" (see below).
"We do not bless those who go there [to war]", Pastor Romanyuk continued.
"[Those] who are taken by force, we do not bless them, but we pray that
they are rescued from there. There are different legal ways to do this"
(see below).
For this, investigators charged Pastor Romanyuk under Criminal Code Article
280.4 "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", "with the use of his official position", and "with the use of
mass media, or electronic, or information and telecommunication networks,
including the internet" (Part 2, Paragraphs b and v) (see below).
"Yes, I gave a sermon in which I touched on military, albeit forced,
murder. I do not retract what I said", Pastor Romanyuk said in his final
speech to the court on 2 September. "I set forth my personal view and
attitude towards the taking of a human life. This is my personal attitude
as a clergyman. I do not retract my sermon" (see below).
Assistant chair of Balashikha City Court Olga Bystryakova did not answer
Forum 18's questions:
- why the judge had imposed such a long jail sentence, particularly in
light of Pastor Romanyuk's age and health problems;
- and why the peaceful expression of religious views on the war should be
considered a threat to state security.
Bystryakova said only that a judge "is not obliged to give any explanations
on the merits of cases considered or in progress" unless this is specified
in law (see below).
Neither Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office nor Balashikha City Prosecutor's
Office responded to Forum 18's questions:
- why they had sought such a long jail sentence, especially given Pastor
Romanyuk's age and health issues;
- and why the peaceful expression of religious views on the war should be
considered a threat to state security.
While arresting Pastor Romanyuk in October 2024, armed officers struck him
on the side of the head, causing fluid to leak from his ear, his family
alleges. No official is known to have been punished for this torture. At
other addresses, armed officers forced people to lie on the floor for
hours, held them at gunpoint, and confiscated digital devices and bank
cards (see below).
Seven individuals now have criminal convictions for opposing Russia's
invasion of Ukraine on religious grounds (see below).
Most recently, a Moscow court jailed Buddhist leader Ilya Vasilyev for 8
years on charges of "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" for a Facebook
post about a Russian rocket attack on the Ukrainian city of Kherson.
Vasilyev is challenging his conviction and Moscow City Court is due to
consider his appeal on 10 September 2025 (see below).
Vasilyev, who has been in detention in Moscow since his arrest in June
2024, has not been permitted to see a Buddhist priest while in custody. The
Moscow branch of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) told his lawyer
that this was because it has no formal agreement with any centralised
Buddhist religious organisation, given the small number of Buddhist
prisoners. "This, of course, violates Ilya's right to meet with a priest",
the lawyer told Forum 18 (see below).
Four jail terms, three fines on criminal charges, plus administrative
punishments
Since February 2022, courts have sentenced four people to imprisonment
(most recently, Protestant Pastor Nikolay Romanyuk – see below) and fined
three on criminal charges
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
war against Ukraine on religious grounds. Investigators have also opened
three criminal cases (https://www.forum18.org/archi
against people who have left Russia, and have placed them on the Federal
Wanted List.
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.
St Petersburg's Nevsky District Court fined Archbishop Grigory
Mikhnov-Vaytenko (https://www.forum18.org/archi
the Apostolic Orthodox Church (not part of the Moscow Patriarchate) 30,000
Roubles on 1 April 2025 for comparing Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the
biblical parable of the Gadarene swine. St Petersburg City Court upheld his
conviction on 26 August, the Archbishop noted on his Telegram channel
(https://t.me/turma_i_vera/272
Ever-increasing internet censorship has seen websites and materials blocked
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
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 12 religious leaders and activists to
its register of a
href="https://www.forum18.org/
agents", largely for reasons related to their opposition to the invasion of
Ukraine. These include, most recently, Fr Ioann Kurmoyarov (on 15 August)
and Fr Andrey Kordochkin (on 22 August).
According to Justice Ministry press releases, the two priests are both
identically accused of disseminating "false information about the decisions
made by the public authorities of the Russian Federation and policies they
pursue, as well as about the Russian Orthodox Church", and speaking out
"about the special military operation in Ukraine", as well as sharing
materials from other "foreign agents" and "undesirable organisations" and
interacting with "foreign organisations". Both live outside Russia.
Fr Ioann (a member of a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
Russia [ROCOR] not in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate) was sentenced
to 3 years' imprisonment on 31 August 2023 under Criminal Code Article
207.3 ("Public dissemination, under the guise of credible statements, of
knowingly false information on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation") for criticising Russia's invasion of Ukraine on his YouTube
channel. He was released in August 2024
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Fr Andrey is a Madrid-based Russian Orthodox priest who has consistently
opposed the war. The Moscow Patriarchate banned him from serving in 2023,
after which he joined the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Moscow Region: Pastor's 4-year prison term
On 3 September 2025, after six hearings, Balashikha City Court in Moscow
Region found Protestant pastor Nikolay Nikolayevich Romanyuk (born 15
August 1962) guilty of calling on others "to obstruct the exercise by
government bodies and their officials of their powers to ensure the
security of the Russian Federation". Judge Yevgeny Parshin sentenced him
(https://t.me/politzekinfo/836
general-regime labour camp, plus a 3-year ban on "administering websites"
after his release.
Pastor Romanyuk intends to appeal to Moscow Regional Court, his daughter
Svetlana Zhukova wrote on Telegram on 4 September
(https://t.me/zhu4ka_sveta/543
there will be no fundamental changes". In the meantime, he remains in
detention at Investigation Prison No. 11 in Noginsk, where he has spent the
last ten and half months since his arrest in October 2024.
Pastor Romanyuk gave a sermon
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Pentecostal Church in Balashikha on 25 September 2022 (the first Sunday
after President Vladimir Putin announced the "partial mobilisation" of
Russian army reservists). In the sermon, which was livestreamed on YouTube,
he described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "not our war".
For this, investigators charged Pastor Romanyuk under Criminal Code Article
280.4 ("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"), Part 2 Paragraph b ("using his official position") and
Paragraph v ("with the use of the internet").
Forum 18 wrote to Balashikha City Court to ask:
- why the judge had imposed such a long jail sentence, particularly in
light of Pastor Romanyuk's age and health problems;
- and why the peaceful expression of religious views on the war should be
considered a threat to state security.
Assistant chair of the court Olga Bystryakova responded on 4 September, not
answering Forum 18's questions, but stating: "A judge is not obliged to
give any explanations on the merits of cases considered or in progress, or
to present them to anyone for review, except in cases and in the manner
provided for by procedural law."
"Anti-war preaching is not forgiven"
Prosecutors requested a sentence of 4 years and 6 months' imprisonment
(followed by the 3-year ban on administering websites). Forum 18 wrote to
Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office and Balashikha City Prosecutor's Office
on 3 September, asking:
- why they had sought such a long jail sentence, especially given Pastor
Romanyuk's age and health issues;
- and why the peaceful expression of religious views on the war should be
considered a threat to state security.
Forum 18 had received no response by the afternoon of the working day in
Moscow Region of 4 September.
Should the verdict enter legal force, Pastor Romanyuk's 4-year sentence
will be reduced by the time he has spent in custody at the rate of one day
in the detention centre to a day and a half in prison.
Nevertheless, Pastor Romanyuk's prison term is "unjustifiably cruel and
unfair", lawyer Anatoly Pchelintsev (who represented the interests of a
witness in the case) commented on Telegram on 3 September
(https://t.me/advocatavp/452). Before the verdict, Pchelintsev, who
believes "there is no criminal offence in the clergyman's actions",
observed (https://t.me/advocatavp/447) that "Frankly speaking, there is
almost no chance of acquittal, the Russian justice system practically does
not know what that is. However, hope for justice and humanism dies last."
"The case is completely fabricated, motivated either by someone's personal
hatred or by a general mood", Pastor Romanyuk's daughter Svetlana Zhukova
wrote on her Telegram channel on 4 September
(https://t.me/zhu4ka_sveta/543
it's probably not safe to say what you think.. Imagine, Dad was convicted
for his opinion, his position. There is no crime. Not a single person
suffered from his actions. The state did not suffer at all."
Zhukova added: "The people who are unfairly and illegally tormenting him
probably think that they are depriving him of something. And, of course,
they are depriving him of freedom, communication, medical care,
participation in communion, depriving him of the opportunity to continue
serving people. There is much to list. But true freedom cannot be taken
away from him."
"At the moment of the sermon there was great confusion in many hearts and
heads", Zhukova continued (https://t.me/zhu4ka_sveta/544
was burning in his mouth, in his heart. He could not help but say it, no
matter what anyone thought. Because it is the truth. It is a biblical
principle. And he hoped that he would be heard! Yes, he was heard. Now we
know for sure. Much further and more than he could have imagined. And,
probably, this act of intimidation is aimed at suppressing the opinion of
dissenters, who dare to express their different opinion".
Fr Andrey Mizyuk, a Russian Orthodox (Moscow Patriarchate) priest who left
Russia in 2022 over his own opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
agrees that Pastor Romanyuk's prosecution is both punishment and
intimidation. "The state has made it clear more than once that anti-war
preaching is not forgiven", he wrote on the Peace Unto All Telegram channel
(https://t.me/murvsem/685) on 4 September.
"Pastor Nikolay was among those who could not remain silent [about the war]
and clearly, to his misfortune, said with extreme honesty what he
considered to be the duty of a Christian…The Russian state did not
forgive him for this.
Fr Andrey added: "Objections from representatives of religious
organisations are especially unacceptable to the authorities. And this is
understandable: any attempt to tell the truth, even the weakest voice, is
capable of piercing the hysterical curtain of propaganda of a bloody war.
And if this voice sounds with a reference to Holy Scripture, it becomes
doubly threatening. That is why such close attention is paid to any
manifestation of dissent."
Pastor Romanyuk: "I do not retract what I said"
In Pastor Romanyuk's 2022 sermon, he says: "When you are offered a hit,
when you are offered a bottle of alcohol or you are given a summons to send
you to combat – this is the same sin, and the same drug, and the same
Satan.. Find me in the Old Testament even a hint that we could somehow
participate. And it does not matter which tsar calls for this – [whether]
the Ukrainian tsar, the American tsar, or our tsar calls for this. I would
like this to be a vaccination, at least in some way. This is not our war."
"It was written in our doctrine that we are pacifists and cannot
participate in this", Pastor Romanyuk continues
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
profess this on the basis of Holy Scripture. We do not bless those who go
there [to war]. [Those] who are taken by force, we do not bless them, but
we pray that they are rescued from there. There are different legal ways to
do this."
During the exchange of arguments (preniya) on 18 August 2025 (shared by
Anatoly Pchelintsev on his Telegram channel (https://t.me/advocatavp/448))
Romanyuk's lawyer Vladimir Ryakhovsky insisted that the pastor had not
called for any obstruction of the activity of military registration and
enlistment offices, and in fact had not mentioned "a single government
body" in his sermon. The charge, he noted, was based on the conclusions of
experts from the FSB security service's own Institute of Forensic Science,
and the "inconsistent and extremely contradictory" testimony of one
witness.
Ryakhovsky also noted that, in the nearly three years since Pastor Romanyuk
gave the sermon, no parishioners had avoided appearing at the enlistment
office when issued with call-up papers.
Ye. A. Ivshin, a member of the National Guard and parishioner of the
church, stated that Pastor Romanyuk's sermon had "called for not accepting
summons [to serve in the Armed Forces] and not appearing at the meeting of
the draft board", and had "offended" other servicemen who attend the
church. The only serviceman he named, however, testified that he had not
been at the service on 25 September 2022.
None of the other witnesses who had been present at the service claimed
that Pastor Romanyuk had made any such calls, and two parishioners – an
army lieutenant colonel and an employee of the Emergency Situations
Ministry – testified that Romanyuk had never told them that they should
leave military service.
Pastor Romanyuk himself stated in court that, in his sermon, he had talked
about "my personal attitude as a Christian – based on the Bible, the
books of Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments – to any violence,
to any military action, to a person's murder". He added that he had not
called for any interference in government bodies' activities.
He pointed out that, as set out in registration documents submitted to the
Justice Ministry, Holy Trinity Church "recognises the importance of
military service in the Armed Forces for the defence of the Fatherland and
welcomes the possibility of alternative civilian service for those whose
religious beliefs do not allow them to perform compulsory military
service".
Pastor Romanyuk argued that "Alternative civilian service is the same
fulfilment by a citizen of the Russian Federation of his duty and
obligation to defend the Fatherland as military service, but performed in a
different, alternative form to military service".
He also noted the church's "humanitarian aid" to Russian soldiers and to
"residents of new regions and occupied territories" in Ukraine.
"Yes, I gave a sermon in which I touched on military, albeit forced,
murder. I do not retract what I said", Pastor Romanyuk said in his final
speech (https://t.me/zametki_o_zhizni
September. "I set forth my personal view and attitude towards the taking of
a human life. This is my personal attitude as a clergyman. I do not retract
my sermon."
Pastor Romanyuk refused to plead guilty, insisting that he had never called
for any interference with or disruption to the work of enlistment offices.
"This contradicts biblical laws. There is not a single word or hint of any
opposition in my sermon. I support everything that was said."
"Am I right or wrong with my sermon? Perhaps, perhaps not. This is a
debatable issue. Are my personal opinions and views justified or not? There
are different points of view. I am fine with people who have a different
view on this issue."
Pastor Romanyuk pointed out that in the three years since he gave the
sermon, nobody from his church had evaded mobilisation or "obstructed" the
operations of military registration and enlistment offices.
"The investigation calls me very authoritative and says I carry people
along with me. Why then did no one, not a single person, listen to my,
according to the investigation, calls to undermine the foundations of the
constitutional order?
"Authority does exist. The Lord has provided this authority over years of
service…But where and for what did I call? To help one's neighbour. My
children, parishioners, literally rushed to help those affected by the
military conflict."
Pastor Romanyuk also noted that he suffers from hypertension,
cerebrovascular disease, psoriasis, and spinal problems (for which he had
been receiving treatment before his arrest). He has still not fully
recovered from the micro-stroke he had in December 2024
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
be hospitalised in an intensive care unit. He continues to need
"life-sustaining" medication. He experiences headaches, periods of
temporary paralysis, and loss of consciousness.
Investigators carried out armed raids
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
and several other church members' homes on 18 October 2024, as well as at
the church itself and on church property in Volokolamsk.
While arresting Pastor Romanyuk, armed officers struck him on the side of
the head, causing fluid to leak from his ear, his family alleges. No
official is known to have been punished for this torture.
At other addresses, armed officers forced people to lie on the floor for
hours, held them at gunpoint, and confiscated digital devices and bank
cards (nobody else is known to have been subsequently charged in connection
with Romanyuk's case).
Moscow: Appeal due in Buddhist leader's case
On 10 September, Moscow City Court is due to hear the appeal by Buddhist
leader Ilya Vladimirovich Vasilyev (born 9 December 1973) against his
conviction on charges of spreading "false information" about the Russian
Armed Forces in a Facebook post about a Russian strike on the Ukrainian
city of Kherson.
On 25 June, the capital's Preobrazhensky District Court handed Vasilyev a
sentence of 8 years' imprisonment
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraph e ("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").
Judge Valentina Lebedeva also handed him a 4-year ban on administering
websites after his release.
Vasilyev has been in detention since 22 June 2024 initially in Moscow's
Kapotnya prison, then in Matrosskaya Tishina
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
2025, he was transferred to Investigation Prison No. 3 in Moscow. Although
he has been able to meditate, read religious literature and correspond with
fellow Buddhists, the detention centre and the court have repeatedly
refused him access to a Buddhist priest.
On 25 July 2025, the Moscow branch of the Federal Penitentiary Service
(FSIN) responded to lawyer Gevorg Aleksanyan's enquiry, stating that for a
detainee to see a priest, there must be a formal agreement with a
centralised religious organisation. It added that, "in view of the
insignificant number of persons who confess Buddhism in institutions of the
penal system in the city of Moscow, concluding an agreement with a
centralised religious organisation is at present not possible. At the same
time, the matter remains under review, and if there are sufficient grounds
(a growth in the number of believers, the receipt of new requests, etc.),
it will be considered again, taking into account all the circumstances."
"This, of course, violates Ilya's right to meet with a priest," Aleksanyan
commented to Forum 18 on 29 July.
Vasilyev's post constituted "information that did not correspond to
reality"?
According to the Preobrazhensky District Court verdict, seen by Forum 18,
the case against Ilya Vasilyev was based on an English-language Facebook
post of 25 December 2022: "Putin rejected Christmas armistice. His rockets
are right now shelling peaceful Ukrainian cities and towns. Only yesterday
16 people died in Kherson, where my father's family lives. Or lived?
Millions of Ukrainians are now without electricity and water supply. The
picture is called 'Christmas 2022'." The painting Vasilyev posted, by
Ukrainian-born artist Iriney Yurchuk, depicts a nativity scene in the ruins
of a bombed-out block of flats.
His post had a "purely religious" aim and was "a call for peace", Vasilyev
said, according to Mediazona's account of the trial on 25 June
(https://zona.media/article/20
images in the painting call for reconciliation and instil hope that
hostilities between Russia and Ukraine will one day cease .. I was deeply
struck by the light, kindness and hope depicted. It is blasphemous to me
that the prosecution is imposing something of its own, something illegal,
on a bright, festive Christmas publication, even in defiance of the
author's clearly stated position."
Judge Lebedeva, however, stated: "The court is critical of the testimony
given by the defendant during the trial .. considers it unreliable and
regards it as a chosen method of protection from criminal prosecution,
since this testimony is consistently refuted by the evidence examined above
in the case."
The defence has concerns over discrepancies between two Russian
translations (https://www.forum18.org/archi
Vasilyev's post used in the case and the lack of experience of the FSB
security service expert who provided linguistic analysis. Despite these
concerns, the judge decided to accept the prosecution's argument that
Vasilyev had deliberately "misled an unlimited number of people" and
"created the appearance of illegal activity that violated international
law" by the Russian armed forces and government, acting out of "political
hatred, expressed in a 'disdainful, unfriendly, hostile, aggressive'
attitude towards the authorities".
"The court finds the totality of the evidence sufficient to conclude that
the defendant Vasilyev is guilty of committing the crime indicated above",
Lebedeva wrote in her verdict. "The court also has no reason not to trust
the expert's conclusion .. which is duly executed, complies with the
[Criminal Procedure Code], is scientifically substantiated and convincingly
argued, and its conclusions appear clear and understandable to the court."
Judge Lebedeva noted that the right to freedom of speech and expression may
be limited under the Constitution "to protect the foundations of the
constitutional system, morality, health, the rights and legitimate
interests of other persons, [and] ensure the defence of the country and
state security".
She said that Vasilyev's post constituted "information that did not
correspond to reality about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation on the territory of the Lugansk [sic] and Donetsk Republics and
Ukraine", which "misled users of Internet resources about the true goals
and conditions of the special military operation, motivated by political
hatred in order to undermine the authority and discredit the activities of
the Armed Forces and government bodies of the Russian Federation".
These goals, Judge Lebedeva added, are "the demilitarisation and
denazification of Ukraine, as well as the protection of the population of
the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from the aggression of the
Ukrainian authorities, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and
representatives of nationalist military formations". (END)
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For background information see Forum 18's Russia religious freedom survey
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
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