Rev. NIKOLAY SAVCHENKO, Russian Orthodox Church (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Rev. Nikolay Savchenko
Priest Nikolay Savchenko, born in 1972. He is a cleric of the Church of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 2014, he posted photos on the social network «VKontakte» from an anti-war rally that took place on 1 May 2014, in St. Petersburg. During the rally, he held a small Ukrainian flag. The caption under the photo read: «On Nevsky Avenue for peace with Ukraine.»
The description of another photo contained a quote from the Bible: «Thus says the Lord: do not go and do not wage war against your brothers.»
On 23 March 2025, the priest was taken to the police directly from the church, where a protocol was drawn up for an administrative offense: the flag he held in the photo was considered extremist symbols of the OUN («Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists»), which the Supreme Court of Russia recognized as «extremist» in September 2022. The priest was arrested for a term of 14 days.
