Moscow Patriarchate’s cleric sentenced in Ukraine for setting church on fire

In Bukovyna, a monk from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) who burned down the church run by his own denomination was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.

This was reported by the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office, Ukrinform saw.

Prosecutors proved in court of law that in April 2023, a monk, 34, while in a state of alcohol intoxication, initially tried to steal money from a dormitory, but failed to open the safe.

The man didn't stop there and then burned down the church in the Milieve village run by the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), robbed a local store, and to conceal his theft, committed another act of arson, prosecutors say.

The cleric was found guilty of repeated theft and arson and sentenced to five years and six months of imprisonment.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in Sumy region, a priest from the UOC (MP) was sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason.