In Sumy region, UOC MP priest sentenced to 5 years for passing air defense coordinates to enemy
A court has found a 41-year-old archpriest of a church belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate guilty of disseminating information regarding the locations of Ukrainian military personnel and air defense systems in the Sumy region.
As reported by Censor.NET, this was stated by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
What the court established
The man was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment.
Prosecutors proved that he transmitted precise coordinates of military facilities in Shostka and the Shostka district to his contact via a messaging app.
He paid particular attention to the locations of air defense systems that provide protection against aerial attacks.
How the suspect operated
According to the investigation, the clergyman collected information from local residents, inquiring about the bases of the Ukrainian military and available weaponry.
He systematically transmitted the obtained data, specifying the exact addresses of the facilities.
Detention and evidence
Law enforcement officers detained the man in September 2025.
During the search, pro-Kremlin literature and a smartphone containing evidence of cooperation with the enemy were seized.
He has been in custody since then.
In court, the clergyman fully pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.
He explained his actions by claiming he was allegedly trying to protect his fellow villagers from shelling, as his contact promised to influence the Russian military not to attack the settlement.
However, as noted by the Office of the Prosecutor General, despite these promises, the occupiers repeatedly shelled the village.
