In Tokmak, Russian authorities sentence UOC priest to 14 years

UOC Priest Kostiantyn Maksymov. Photo: Suspilne

Russian authorities have sentenced Kostyantyn Maksymov, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) from Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia region, to 14 years in prison on charges of espionage against Russia, reports Suspilne.

According to his lawyer, Yulia Bohdan, Russian occupation authorities pressured clergy of the Berdyansk Diocese of the UOC to sign documents transferring their allegiance to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), but Maksymov refused.

“Maksymov was repeatedly forced to sign these documents, but he refused each time. Despite the pressure, he not only declined to sign but also refrained from mentioning the ROC Patriarch Kirill during church services, which earned him reprimands from the rector of the church,” said Bohdan.

Due to constant pressure, the priest decided to leave the occupied territory. On May 16, 2023, he attempted to flee via Crimea using a private transport service. However, he was detained at Chonhar, and from that point until February 2024, the UOC cleric was held captive in Melitopol, reportedly in a so-called "basement." Later, he was transferred to the Melitopol pre-trial detention center.

“It was only on March 26, 2024, that Maksymov’s mother, Svitlana, received the first message from her son. In a note, he wrote: ‘Mom, I’m alive. Charged under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Only an exchange will save me. Take care of yourself,’” the lawyer stated.

The Zaporizhzhia Eparchy of the UOC struggled to obtain accurate information about his whereabouts. The diocese’s press secretary, Archpriest Hennadiy Yelin, remarked: “Everything we know comes from the media and his mother’s words. It was said he was detained at a checkpoint, but reports were conflicting: some claimed he was in police custody, others said he was in Donetsk pre-trial detention, or in Simferopol. We tried to assist, but nothing was confirmed.”

Fourteen months after his detention, on August 2, 2024, Russian authorities accused Kostiantyn Maksymov of espionage and sentenced him to 14 years in a high-security prison.

“Father Kostiantyn was unlawfully held on occupied territory, kept for nearly a year without official detention, and then subjected to a show trial, resulting in a 14-year prison sentence,” underscored the lawyer.

Maksymov’s mother claims her son was coerced into confessing under torture.

As reported by the UOJ, a missile strike by Russia destroyed the St. Andrew’s Cathedral of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia.

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