By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) - There was fresh concern Wednesday about a Ukrainian Orthodox priest sentenced to 14 years in a Russian labor camp after Kyiv effectively banned the branch of the Orthodox church with links to Moscow.
Christians told Worthy News that the priest, Kostiantyn Maksimov, was found guilty by a Russian-controlled court and sentenced to 14 years in a forced labor camp. “This verdict was announced despite the fact that, according to
international law, Russian legislation cannot be enforced in occupied territory,” commented the Christian advocacy group Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC).
It came as a setback for the priest who was detained by Russian forces on May 2023 in his home in the Zaporizhzhia area of Ukraine.
In March 2024, authorities announced that he was accused of “reporting the location of Russian air defenses” and charged with “espionage.”
After the verdict was announced, the Orthodox priest's mother, Svetlana Maksimova, appeared in shock as she had been hoping for a lesser sentence. "We will appeal against the sentence, though I don't think it will be changed," she said in remarks shared with Worthy News.
She said she hopes that her son will be included in a future prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.
ROCKY ROAD AHEAD
“In the meantime, it is expected that Father Kostiantyn will remain incarcerated in occupied Ukrainian territory until his appeal has been heard. If the hearing is unsuccessful, he will likely be transferred to a prison camp in Russia,” said VOMC, which urged prayers for the priest and his appeal.
Yet, Russian authorities appeared less likely to release the Ukrainian priest soon as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suggested that Kyiv was moving towards effectively banning the branch of the Orthodox church that has links to Moscow.
Zelenskyy pledged in published comments that his administration wanted to “strengthen our Ukrainian spiritual independence.”
Membership of the independent church loyal to the Kyiv patriarchate has swelled since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
But the minority Moscow-linked church retains influence, and Ukrainian leaders accuse it of abetting the invasion and trying to “poison” public opinion, charges the church denies.