Greek Citizen Sentenced for Denying russian Aggression Against Ukraine

The Kyiv District Court of Odesa found a Greek citizen guilty of denying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine because of his comment to a Greek radio station.

According to the case file, on March 8, 2024, the man gave an interview to the Greek radio station Focus FM 103.6, in which he expressed doubts about Russia's involvement in the destruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral and the Odesa Hotel and hinted that Ukraine should be responsible for the destruction of these facilities, Odeske Zhyttia reported.

In addition, the Greek said that most Odessans allegedly want their city to be "liberated." He explained Russia's strikes on the port infrastructure by the fact that Ukrainian troops allegedly deployed weapons in the port.

Moreover, the Greek citizen called the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Odesa in March last year a "theatrical performance."

The foreigner was sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was commuted to a year of probation.

On the night of July 23, 2023, the largest church in Odesa, the Transfiguration Cathedral, a UNESCO monument, was partially damaged by a Russian missile in the historic center of the city. The ceiling was damaged, the altar area was destroyed, and two floors were pierced down. The building itself is a historical monument of local significance; Prince and Princess Vorontsov are buried in the cathedral. The church is a replica of a nineteenth-century cathedral that was destroyed by the Soviet government in 1936. The replica was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2010. This is the main cathedral of the Odesa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, whose rector, Metropolitan Agafangel, met with Putin in 2013 and received a certificate of honor from him.

On March 6, 2024, the Russian army launched a missile strike on Odesa when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were visiting the city.

Кирило Бойко