Court in Zakarpattia fines UOC archimandrite

Archimandrite Benedict outside the courthouse. Photo: Fr. Benedict’s Facebook page

On March 13, 2025, the Rakhiv District Court of Zakarpattia Oblast found Archimandrite Benedict (Khromiy) of the Khust Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church guilty in a criminal case.

The court fined him 60,000 hryvnias. The priest himself shared the news on social media.

He stressed that despite the ongoing persecution, he would not renounce his faith or the canonical traditions of the Church.

“I told the court, and I say the same to the SBU: I will not change my Orthodox faith or the canons – no matter how much you persecute or prosecute me. They may claim they are not judging me for my faith, but we all understand the difference between a pretext and a real reason,” he wrote.

As Dozor previously reported, the priest had been charged under Part 1, Article 436-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for a Facebook frame with a Victory Day greeting that he allegedly posted in 2020.

During the trial for “dissemination of communist symbols,” court officials and the judge demanded that the monk remove his cross and cassock while attending hearings.

The clergyman was found guilty and sentenced to three years of suspended imprisonment, commuted to one year of probation.

Later, the National Police opened a separate case under Article 197-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, claiming that the monastic brotherhood building under construction had “encroached beyond its boundaries.” The archimandrite did not specify which case the fine was related to, but it appears to stem from allegations of “unauthorized” monastery construction.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the persecuted UOC community in Dilove is praying for the enlightenment of Patriarch Bartholomew.

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