Defrocked Kazakh priest arrested amid controversy over anti-war activism

Yakov Vorontsov, a defrocked cleric renowned for his vocal condemnation of the war in Ukraine and his efforts to found an autonomous Orthodox Church within Kazakhstan, has been taken into custody in Almaty.

Supporters of Vorontsov claim the criminal case is being pursued under pressure from Russian officials and the Russian Orthodox Church, which stripped him of his priesthood for criticizing military actions in Ukraine, BBC News reports.

The 39-year-old Vorontsov was detained for 10 days on charges of drug use. On the night of February 13, police special forces raided his home, allegedly seizing “powdered substances,” according to a statement from the Almaty police department. Medical examinations reportedly confirmed his consumption of narcotics.

The police statement added: “The investigative department of the Almaty police is conducting a criminal case regarding the organization of a den for consuming narcotics. A male born in 1986 has been detained on suspicion.” Authorities confirmed to BBC News that the detained individual is Vorontsov.

Vorontsov is notable not only for condemning the war in Ukraine but also for calling on Kazakh citizens to petition for the country’s withdrawal from two Russian-led international organizations—the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union.

In August 2023, the Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan suspended Vorontsov from conducting religious services and formally removed him from the priesthood.

By Vafa Guliyeva