In Kazakhstan, a priest who criticized the Russian Orthodox Church was detained. He is accused of storing and using drugs
On the night of February 13, law enforcement officers in Almaty, Kazakhstan, detained former hieromonk Iakov (Vladimir) Vorontsov of the Astana and Almaty Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. His lawyer, Galym Nurpeissov, reported this to 'Agentstvo'.

Photo: social networks
Currently, "pre-trial investigation procedures are being carried out" with Vorontsov, the publication clarified.
The Almaty Police Department stated that "powder-like substances" were found on the priest, and Vorontsov himself used drugs. According to Nurpeissov, he is accused of non-medical consumption of narcotic drugs.
Vorontsov was born in Kazakhstan and served in the Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan until 2023. He criticized the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, after which he was defrocked.
After this, Vorontsov announced his intention to create an Orthodox church in Kazakhstan independent of the Russian Orthodox Church, but local authorities refused to register the parish.
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