Daniil Sidorov, a priest from the Yekaterinburg Diocese who faced criminal charges for the attempted rape of a student, has been released to serve in the war in Ukraine.
This was confirmed by Metropolitan Evgeny (Kulberg) of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye on Telegram.
According to the metropolitan, Sidorov will no longer serve as a priest but has instead "begun another service—to the Motherland" as a private in an airborne assault platoon as of December 28.
Kulberg stated that Sidorov had "convincingly and sincerely asked for forgiveness" from those he had harmed and received it. He assured the public that Sidorov will not "sit out at headquarters" but will demonstrate repentance on the battlefield through "selflessness and military labor."
Details of the Criminal Case
According to The Moscow Times, the investigation revealed that on November 10, the 26-year-old priest followed a 19-year-old student to her home and assaulted her.
He prevented her from entering her home, touched her inappropriately, and threw her to the ground, grabbing her by the hair. During the assault, Sidorov masturbated.
The attack was interrupted when the student’s mother heard her screams and intervened, prompting Sidorov to flee.
The incident was captured on the building’s intercom camera.
Sidorov was detained on November 25, and the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case for attempted violent sexual acts (Part 3 of Article 30, Part 1 of Article 132 of the Criminal Code). Despite the seriousness of the charges, the court did not order his arrest, instead imposing restrictions on his activities.
Following the incident, the Yekaterinburg Diocese barred Sidorov from performing religious duties, removed him from its staff, and deleted his profile from its website. A second accusation later surfaced, involving a 38-year-old woman who reported prior instances of harassment by Sidorov.
Sidorov, who has a wife and child, was a cleric at the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit "Bolshoi Zlatoust" and had served as Metropolitan Kulberg’s secretary since 2020.
During a court hearing about Sidorov’s restrictions, his wife attended but declined to speak to the media.
