The Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested the former schema-monk Sergius (Nikolai Romanov) for two months.

The press secretary of the court, Irina Sofinskaya, told RIA Novosti about this.

"The court granted the request of the investigation to choose a preventive measure in the form of detention for two months," she said.

The Investigative Committee clarified that Romanov was charged under articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "inducement to suicide", "violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion", "arbitrariness".

The department recalled that the former schema monk was excommunicated from the church, but did not leave the Sredneuralsky nunnery and prevented, at his own discretion, access to its territory for all persons, including representatives of the Yekaterinburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Investigative Committee noted that Romanov, by his actions, illegally prevented the conduct of religious rituals, as well as the inventory of real estate objects on the territory of the monastery, "that is, he committed arbitrariness."

In addition, he publicly called at least ten nuns living in the monastery to commit suicide, the department said.

“Realizing that his calls can be perceived vaguely by a wide range of people and entail socially dangerous consequences, he published on the Internet a video of his speech containing signs of persuading believers to commit suicide under the guise of the religious ideology of Christianity,” the ministry said in a statement.

Romanov did not admit his guilt in the commission of these crimes, the Investigative Committee said.

They added that Nikolai Romanov was convicted of murder and robbery to 13 years in prison, and after serving his sentence he was released in the late 90s.

The fact that his client pleaded not guilty was previously reported by his lawyer Ivan Mironov.

“He is charged with a crime under three articles of the RF Criminal Code.

He does not admit guilt for any of them, "he quotes a TASS defender.

The arrest of Romanov became known on the night of December 29.

Then a number of media outlets reported that law enforcement officers arrived on the territory of the Sredneuralsky nunnery and detained the ex-schema monk to testify.

According to a TASS source in law enforcement agencies, the reason for the arrest was a video recording in which Sergiy urged his listeners to "die for Russia."

As noted by the media, the recording shows that in addition to the adult parishioners, children are present at the sermon.

  • Former Schema-monk Sergius taken to the building of the Basmanny Court

After that, Igor Morokov, the ombudsman for the rights of the child in the Sverdlovsk region, turned to the prosecutor's office with a request to check this record for a call to suicide, as he saw in it a possible violation of the law on the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development.

According to a TASS correspondent, at night, at the entrance to the monastery, a cordon of riot police was organized, on the road near the monastery representatives of the traffic police and a tow truck were on duty.

Photos and videos from the territory of the monastery also began to appear on social networks, in which law enforcement officers in overalls and helmets are visible.

Some of the recordings show nuns standing in the street.

Later, Romanov published a video on his Telegram channel, in which he addressed his supporters, stating that everything was fine with him, and asked them not to do anything.

After the arrest, the man was taken to Moscow.

Meanwhile, in the Verkhnepyshminskaya city hospital, RIA Novosti was informed that three nuns turned to doctors because of injuries after the arrest of Sergius.

They clarified that the women had minor injuries, they were treated on an outpatient basis.

In turn, the human rights ombudsman in the Sverdlovsk region, Tatyana Merzlyakova, said that some nuns had left the Sredneuralsky monastery.

“An alarming situation.

Some of the sisters left the monastery.

For what reasons - I don't know.

But we must do everything possible so that there is no social tension in this hearth, "RIA Novosti quotes her.

  • RIA News

  • © Mikhail Voskresensky

Against this background, the diocese noted that they are concerned about the spiritual and mental state of the people who are on the territory of the seized monastery. 

“Now a representative of the diocese, the head of the department of social service of the Yekaterinburg diocese, Archpriest Yevgeny Popichenko, is going to the territory of the seized monastery with the sisters of mercy.

The nuns are in a depressed morale.

They need spiritual help.

Also on the territory of the Sredneuralsky nunnery there are sick, disabled, children, ”the message says.

Later Popichenko said that representatives of the Yekaterinburg diocese could not get into the monastery.

“We stood on the threshold.

The representatives of the monastery say that they do not need help, that there are victims, but they look after them themselves.

I asked to speak with the children who were injured, with those nuns who received some blows, but nothing happened, they spoke only with those who stood at the entrance, ”he said.

Recall that in the spring, in his sermon, Father Sergius called the coronavirus epidemic "pseudo-pandemic", condemned the requirement for Russians to observe self-isolation, and also spoke sharply about the demand to refrain from visiting temples during the spread of coronavirus infection.

In this regard, he was fined for incitement to hatred and for disseminating false information.

Also, the Yekaterinburg diocese banned Sergius from preaching, but after that Romanov made a new video message - about chipping through the coronavirus vaccine.

For this, the diocese banned him from serving until the decision of the church court.

Soon an administrative case was brought up under Part 9 of Art.

13.15 Administrative Code ("Abuse of freedom of the media"). 

In mid-June, due to a conflict with Sergius, the abbess of the monastery Varvara (Krygina) and some of the nuns left the monastery.

Romanov himself, despite the order of the church authorities, refused to leave the monastery.

On June 27, a message appeared in a group for pilgrims on the VKontakte social network that the monastery was closed.

Security at the entrance does not allow pilgrims and visitors, including journalists, to pass.

In October, the Investigative Committee also opened a criminal case on the torture of children in the Sredneuralsky nunnery.

The department reported that from 2004 to 2019, unidentified persons on the territory, "based on a false understanding of the process of raising minors," caused physical and mental suffering, systematically beating and committing other violent acts against seven children.

  • On October 19, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia approved the decision to excommunicate Schema monk Sergius from the church.