A priest with the Russian True Orthodox Church has been apprehended in Ukraine’s Lviv region for illegal production and sale of firearms.
This is not the first time the cleric is being detained over the past three years, but so far he has managed to avoid an actual prison term, as reported by zaxid.net
According to law enforcers, the suspect, 49, would buy traumatic weapons, convert them into firearms, and resell them using mail services to deliver weapons to his customers.
Volyn police have eventually detained the culprit on June 9 in a sting operation where the suspect sold the weapon to a decoy operative.
The cops had been tipped about someone’s thriving illicit “business” a few months ago, the Volyn PD press service said.
“Identifying the perpetrator was an issue as the man was careful about his personal information,” the report says.
In a raid at the suspect’s home, documents confirming his involvement in illegal activity, as well as special technical devices, handguns, and ammunition were seized.
The Volyn PD said that the man had already been detained earlier, for similar offenses, but stopped short of elaborating.
Lviv region’s PD also declined to comment.
According to zahid.net, the name of the suspect is Viacheslav Konovalov of Bortiatyn, former Mosty district. The report says the man had twice been detained before, only to be released on probation for the first time, while the second case targeting him is still pending in court.
In July 2020, the Spiritual Front of Ukraine reported about the arrest in Lviv region of a priest who had been illegally selling weapons and ammunition.
In December 2018, he was initially detained for illegal handling of weapons. According to the court verdict, the man was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. However, based on Art. 75 of the Criminal code of Ukraine, he was released on probation.
