In the Krasnodar region, searches were conducted at the church of Archbishop Victor, who spoke out against the war.
Around six o'clock in the morning on October 3, security forces knocked on the door of the church where the archbishop's assistant, Hieromonk Jonah (Ilya Sigida), was sleeping. When he opened the door, men in camouflage uniforms carrying automatic weapons burst into the building. The officers began asking Father Jonah about a media article.
"I opened the door, they suddenly drag me inside, throw me to the ground, trip me. Face down on the floor, in an extremely aggressive manner. They burst in with machine guns, in camouflage, in balaclavas. SOBR. Right into the church with machine guns, like soldiers. They twist me on the floor, put their knee on my back, so I can't breathe." – the priest said.
Searches were conducted at the Holy Protection-Tikhon Church in Slavyansk-on-Kuban. Correspondent New Tab "Govorit NeMoskva" learned of this on October 6 from church officials, who suspect that Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov is being accused of repeatedly discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. They haven't seen the priest since his arrest on October 3. His assistant, Hieromonk Jonah, was arrested for two days.
After this, the security officers took Father Jonah to a house behind the church and demanded to see his computer. The priest led them to the second floor. There, the officers took his passport, which was lying on the table next to the computer. According to the hieromonk, they hit him in the stomach, confiscated his cell phone, and demanded he hand over his second phone. When he refused, they hit him several times.
"They started beating me, hitting me on the head, maybe on the stomach, I don't remember. Then they twisted my nose, then I told them I'd give them my phone, it was either here or in the church. Then they started asking questions, demanding the computer password, – the hieromonk described what was happening.
Father Jonah refused to tell the security forces about the church's website, citing Article 51 of the Russian Constitution. He said the security forces laughed and said they didn't care about that article: it wouldn't help. After that, the priest said, they hit him again and threatened to shave his beard. They brought scissors and an old electric razor they found in the house and began twisting his arms, but later left him alone.
Having gained access to the computer, security forces saw Ukrainian news sites in the browser. According to Father Jonah, this caused him to be called a Nazi and a fascist, although he told the agents he was simply reading the news.
After Father Jonah had answered all the questions, some of the security officers left. He said the two remaining officers hit him several more times and then took him outside. Two young men stood there—witnesses: the security officers asked them to sign papers stating that the hieromonk had resisted.
The operatives verbally accused Father Jonah of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces for an article on Online A church called "The Cult of War." It contains nothing about the army: the priest wrote about the Russian Orthodox Church, which, in his opinion, has departed from the faith. Father Jonah claims that security forces insulted and swore at him, and during the search, they denied him access to water and the bathroom.
The hieromonk spent the following night in a detention center, where he was treated "humanely." During interrogation, the security forces were most interested in articles on the church website and a video about the church on the Novaya Gazeta Evropa YouTube channel, in which journalists described Archbishop Victor's anti-war stance.
"I was shocked by the level of aggression, the malice, and the fact that they entered the church with machine guns. They were in the altar, tearing everything apart. The search was carried out very brazenly, throwing everything around as if on purpose. They opened the donation box." – the hieromonk commented on the search.
The court report and ruling (available to Novaya Vklab and Govorit NeMoskva) state that on October 3, at around 6:00 AM, Father Jonah refused to provide documents at the police officer's request during a search. However, according to the priest, security officers immediately confiscated his passport.
In the Slavyansk City Court on October 4, Father Jonah explained that he had not disobeyed orders and therefore disagreed with the protocol. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 19.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (Disobedience to a lawful order of a police officer) and sentenced to two days in custody.
Archbishop Victor's fate remains unknown. He was also detained and taken to the police station, but he and Jonah were separated during the search.
Let us recall that in April 2023 in “New tab" and "Says Nemoskva"The story of 86-year-old Father Viktor was published. He was found guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and fined 40 rubles for a sermon in which he condemned the war in Ukraine.
Photo: from personal archive
