An ultraconservative, coronavirus-denying Russian priest who is serving a seven-year prison term on charges of inciting hatred, vigilantism, violating the right to religious freedom, and encouraging suicide, has asked President Vladimir Putin to pardon him and send him to the war in Ukraine.
The letter addressed to Putin by Nikolai Romanov, also known as Father Sergy, was published on July 10 by the Ura.ru news agency.
Romanov, 69, stressed in his letter that he had asked earlier to be sent to the war, but his request had been denied due to his age.
Romanov also wrote that he has served more than a half of his term, adding that he will "live the life of a humbled pensioner" if he is released.
Romanov was stripped of his religious rank and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison in November 2021. In January 2023, his prison term was extended to 7 years after a court found him guilty of inciting hatred toward Catholics, Muslims, and Jews.
That term was later cut by one month.
SEE ALSO: Rogue Russian Priest Gets Additional Prison Term On Hatred ChargeFather Sergy was arrested in December 2020 after law enforcement raided his convent in the Sverdlovsk region. Parishioners and some clergy skirmished with the police during the arrest of the rogue priest, who was then sent to a detention center in Moscow.
He made headlines in June 2020 after he took over the Sredneuralsk Women’s Monastery in the Urals by force with help from Cossack guards.
He was later stripped of his religious rank by the Diocesan Court in the Sverdlovsk region for what the court called disobedience toward Russian Orthodox Church authorities.
Father Sergy has been known for his public praising of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, for calling the coronavirus pandemic a Western plot, and for publicly condemning the Russian Orthodox Church's order in April 2020 to stop church services to prevent the spreading of the virus.
After forcibly taking over the convent, Father Sergy issued political statements saying that constitutional amendments proposed by President Putin "would legalize a slave-owning system."
The constitutional changes approved in 2020 allowed Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister for almost 25 years, to stay in power until 2036 if he chooses to run again after his current term ends in 2030.