Further from God. Prosecution requests 7.5 years for a preacher who sheltered men from mobilisation but was charged over a Prigozhin repost

The preacher is charged with “justifying terrorism” and the repeat “discreditation” of the Russian army. The first charge stems from a sarcastic comment he left under a news post about the arson of a military enlistment office. The second charge was brought over several posts on the VK social network, most notably his decision to share an address by the late Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Before his arrest, Charov operated “For Christ’s Sake,” a shelter in the remote Sverdlovsk region village of Savinovo. A former heroin addict who survived a coma and partial paralysis, Charov dedicated himself to religion and caring for the vulnerable, housing up to 20 pensioners, amputees, and homeless people at a time.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Charov openly opposed the war, calling Vladimir Putin the “antichrist.” When the Kremlin announced its “partial” military mobilisation in the fall of 2022, he urged conscripts to avoid enlistment offices and offered his shelter as a safe haven for those fleeing what some called mogilisation—a play on the Russian word for grave, mogila. According to Charov, he successfully hid several men who had received draft summons, helping them safely relocate to other cities.

Despite his open efforts to stymie mobilisation, authorities ultimately targeted Charov for his social media activity.

The “justifying terrorism” charge relates to an August 2023 comment Charov left on a post about a 45-year-old man who threw a Molotov cocktail at a military enlistment office in the town of Polevskoy. The arsonist had been coerced into the act by phone scammers posing as FSB officers. “Award this citizen the Order of Courage,” Charov wrote. In court, he explained the comment was a joke, noting that the arsonist had previously served time for drug trafficking—something Charov, as a former addict himself, condemned.

The “army discreditation” charge seems to be the first known criminal case initiated over the publication of Prigozhin’s statements. In May 2024, investigators charged Charov for sharing a two-minute video released by the mercenary leader on the eve of his June 2023 mutiny. In the clip, Prigozhin accused the Defence Ministry of trying to “deceive the public and the president,” claiming the war in Ukraine was started simply so that a “handful of scum could promote themselves.”

Charov’s home was raided in February 2024 by heavily armed officers. The preacher, who relies on a walking stick due to severe health impacts of drug use in younger years, collapsed in the snow from shock. During a subsequent interrogation, officers from the “anti-extremism” police threatened to send him to the frontline, imprison his wife, and destroy his shelter unless he confessed.

This spring, the trial was closed to the public at the request of prosecutor Marina Drozdetskaya. She argued that there was an “increased threat to terrorist security” in the Sverdlovsk region and complained that the criminal case was being covered by “banned mass media in Russia,” which published the names of trial participants.

Charov remained defiant before his trial began. Speaking to a correspondent in April 2023, while he was still free but facing mounting administrative fines, he said: “I am not worried about prison. If jailed, so be it.”