Friday, February 7, 2025
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    Kherson priest sides with Russia, takes helm of church in occupied Crimea

    Maxim Tarasenko, former secretary of the Kherson diocese of the UOC (in unity with the MP) and aide to Metropolitan John of Kherson and Tavria, at the outset of the full-scale war voluntarily cooperated with the Russian military, ran church services for them, and accepted icons stolen in Kherson. After the liberation of the city and the retreat of Russian troops, Tarasenko fled Kherson and moved to Crimea, where he is now heading a church in Simferopol.

    This is reported by IRS-South with reference to Russian sources.

    According to journalists, in 2023, the first mentions of Tarasenko’s service in Crimea appeared as he worked in the press service of the Crimean diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, spoke in local media in support of Russian aggression, gave lectures to the security forces, and participated in events on “patriotic education”.

    In Crimea, he continues his work as a priest with the Russian Orthodox Church, organizes religious events, speaks in schools, supports the Russian army, and promotes the ideas of the Russian Orthodox Church among the local population. One of his acquaintances is Vladimir Kashlyuk, who donates vehicles to the Russian military through the humanitarian center of the Crimean metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church.

    Tarasenko’s wife, Ksenia, heads the organization “Hospital Volunteers”, which supports wounded Russian military. The organization raises funds among local entrepreneurs, organizes events for schoolchildren and provides moral and material assistance to the Russian military.

    At the end of 2024, Maksym Tarasenko became the acting rector of the All Saints Church in Simferopol. He conducts services, organizes excursions for Russian security forces, and calls on young people to participate in the war in eastern Ukraine.

    The article states that Maksym Tarasenko was born in 1980. He graduated from the Chernihiv Theological Seminary, received church awards from the UOC-MP and the ROC, and after moving to Crimea was awarded the “Three-Handed-Berdyansk” medal.

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