Rev. MAKSIM NAGIBIN, Russian Orthodox Church (Krasnodar Krai)

Rector of the Archangel Michael church (Metropolis of the Kuban, Eparchy of Armavir) in the village of Nadezhnaya, Otradnensky District, Krasnodar Krai.

In the Easter 2022 sermon, he said: “I may become an outcast in the Russian Federation and some present here may disagree with my words, but this is my conviction, it will remain with me. I do not impose this opinion on anyone, and God sees that until now I have not spoken these words from the pulpit. I consider the war against Ukraine a crime and a great shame that has made our country an outcast on the world stage, which they do not want to reckon with and do not trust the words of our rulers.” He posted a video of this sermon on the Odnoklassniki social network. At the end of August, a denunciation was written against him and a protocol was drawn up. The Otradnensky district court began to consider an administrative case against the priest but had to return it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs office citing the fact that the report did not contain «who posted this video and on which page», the Kavkaz.Realii reported. On 25 October 2022, the same website reported that since the term for bringing to justice had expired in July, the Otradnensky district court had dismissed the case against Rev. Nagibin. During the consideration of the protocol, the court enquired whether the priest served in the army, whether he had been abroad and whether he had relatives in Ukraine.

15 November 2022 ecclesiastical court of Armavir diocese decided to defrock Rev. Maksim Nagibin.