Moscow police arrest monk, known locally as ‘practically a saint,’ on child sex abuse charges

Police in Khimki, outside Moscow, have arrested a 44-year-old hieromonk from the Savior Transfiguration Monastery in Murom on child sex abuse charges. Investigators say he used a fake identity to contact a girl under twelve from the Leningrad region on VKontakte back in February, then convinced her to send nude photographs. Per Meduza, the clergyman has reportedly confessed, and acquaintances told Russian outlet 47news that fellow parishioners had considered him "practically a saint." The case is now in the hands of investigators in Khimki.

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