April 09, 2025

Fined Pacifist Bishop: "Thou Shalt Not Kill"


Fined Pacifist Bishop: "Thou Shalt Not Kill"
Icon of Christ Pantocrator Viktor Vacilevich Zhegalov (1898—1941), Wikimedia Commons.

On April 1, a St. Petersburg court fined a pacifist Russian Orthodox bishop R30,000 ($355) for “discrediting the army.”

The bishop had earlier helped Ukrainian refugees. Letters of gratitude from Ukrainian institutions in Kherson were attached to his case at the request of his lawyer.

Orthodox Apostolic Bishop Gregory Minkhov-Vaytenko and his religious organization have dedicated themselves to helping those affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, particularly Ukrainian refugees. On March 11, 2022, Minkhov-Vaytenko posted a video on Telegram calling for peace between Russia and Ukraine.  

In his message, the bishop cited Jesus' exorcism of demons into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:28-34). According to Minkhov-Vaytenko's lawyer, Chertkov, an employee of the Ministry of Interior, "pulled a number of phrases from different places in the address ... [and] created a semblance of a statement by incorrectly quoting and taking it out of context." Authorities proceeded to charge the bishop with "discreditation of the army." The attorney also claims that the police inspector "expressed a subjective opinion in the report." Chertkov said the statute of limitations for Minkhov-Vaytenko's case has already expired.

This is not the first encounter Bishop Minkhov-Vaytenko has had an encounter with law enforcement. On February 16, 2024, the day anticorruption activist Alexey Navalny was found dead in his cell, the clergyman was arrested outside his home as he was leaving to hold a memorial service for the dissident.

Shortly after, Minkhov-Vaytenko was rushed to the hospital from jail due to suffering a stroke. The police oppened a case against him for "calls for mass simultaneous presence of citizens in a public space." The bishop was declared a "foreign agent" after his arrest. However, the criminal case against him was closed in July, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

On April 1, the clergyman denied the "discreditation of the army" charges. The bishop cited Russian Orthdox Church documents and the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13) to defend his statements. Despite his efforts, Minkhov-Vaytenko was forced to pay a fine. The bishop said he will discredit resolving conflicts by force "as long as he lives."

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church has classified pacifism as heresy.

You Might Also Like

Log Your Blog, or Else
  • April 06, 2025

Log Your Blog, or Else

Russian influencers could face consequences if they fail to register with the state.
ROC: Pacifism is Heresy
  • June 15, 2023

ROC: Pacifism is Heresy

A Russian Orthodox priest called for peace. In response, the church said pacifism is "incompatible" with Orthodox teachings.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955