War participant, father of criminals, and handler of UOC-MP priests: an investigation into the ROC's chief military chaplain in Crimea

No matter how much the Kremlin insists that the Russian Orthodox Church is a purely religious structure, it is extremely difficult to believe these words. Especially considering the evidence indicating not only a strong connection between the Moscow Patriarchate and the special services but also that the ROC is effectively a separate branch of the Russian armed forces. Priests-recruiters, machine gunners and paratroopers, propagandists and executioners, are contract servicemen of the aggressor country's army. In the trenches or when approaching the line of contact, they may be directly subordinate to regular local officers, but in the rear, they are managed according to the church hierarchy. Moreover, a priest who kills Ukrainians with weapons in hand can be transferred from one military duty station to another directly by Patriarch Kirill.

Read in this material about how the Russian Orthodox Church operates in the war against Ukraine, how priests steal money from collections "to help participants of the Special Military Operation" (SVO). How their children rape the daughters of Russian military personnel, and why ROC employees should either take off their crosses or hide their rifles.

The hero of our investigation is Archpriest Dmitry Krotkov (according to Manticore, holds passport 3923 /896422, issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Crimea on March 5, 2024), who heads the military department for interaction with the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, criminal-executive institutions, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and other security structures of the Russian Federation in Crimea. In addition, he is the head of the so-called special humanitarian center of the Crimean Metropolis, as well as the main military chaplain of the "SVO" in the occupied Kherson region.

For over a year, a team of hacktivists, representatives of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, and 24 Channel monitored Krotkov's correspondence on Telegram in real-time, documenting war crimes and transmitting the coordinates of units that the devil in a cassock constantly visited. By the time Gundyaev’s subordinate changed his password in the messenger, thanks to the intelligence obtained from his correspondence, at least 2 command posts of the occupiers had been destroyed. In addition, thanks to the archpriest's negligence, Ukrainian special services managed to establish contacts, routes, and locations of many generals and colonels who play a significant role in the war in the South of our Motherland.

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ROC Priests Are Always at the Forefront of the Offensive

In the events of 2014, when Russia seized Crimea and staged a war in Donbas, employees of the Russian "church" played a very significant role. Krotkov himself directly participated in the invasion of the "little green men" on the peninsula: he organized crowds to block units of Ukrainian military personnel, called on soldiers to lay down their arms and defect to the enemy's side.

After the Kremlin annexed the Autonomous Republic, the priest began traveling to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions: allegedly to provide aid to the "militia," but in reality – to maintain morale among the occupiers and process the local population with propaganda.

Krotkov in the occupied Luhansk region. 2014 / Photo from the recruiter-priest's social media

For such activities, the priest was repeatedly awarded with anything but civilian medals: "For the Defense of Crimea" from Sergey Aksyonov, "For the Return of Crimea" and "For Faith and Service to the Fatherland" from the Russian Ministry of Defense, "For Combat Merit" from the "LPR," etc.

It can be safely said that the archpriest was at the forefront of the offensive against Ukraine from the very beginning of Russian aggression. Likewise, in February 2022, he and his comrades-in-arms were in the first echelon of the invasion. A day before the full-scale war, Krotkov wrote to his eldest son that communication would soon disappear where he was. He hinted that the situation was very complicated and that war was inevitable.

Correspondence of the priest with his son a few hours before the invasion / Screenshot from Dmitry Krotkov's Telegram

Before the occupiers could even establish themselves in the South, Krotkov, along with his fellow priests, was already taking photos at the administrative border between the Kherson region and Crimea.

Occupying priests entered Ukrainian territory along with the Russian contingent / Photo from Dmitry Krotkov's Telegram

Why ROC Priests Should Be Considered Combatants

As soon as the Russians established full-fledged occupation regimes in the seized territories, Krotkov and his subordinates began delivering humanitarian aid to those "affected by the war." Initially, he conducted collections in the church among parishioners and looked for sponsors, and later he founded the "Special Humanitarian Center of the Crimean Metropolis."

The church serves as the deployment site for the aid center for Russian military personnel / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

In 2023, the church allocated nearly 9.5 million rubles for the activities of this "organization." The lion's share of the funds, however, went not to help civilians affected by the war, but to the needs of the priest himself and Russian soldiers. According to official data, the traitorous priest regularly purchases attack drones, thermal imagers, radios, anti-drone guns, and even Starlink terminals for the killers of the Russian army.

Russians have been using Starlink on the front lines for a long time and quite extensively / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

The collaborator most often traveled along the front line not in clerical clothing. Krotkov and his numerous assistants (both official ROC employees and actual civilians – 24 Channel) moved through occupied territories, knowing the passwords at all checkpoints. Equipped with helmets and bulletproof vests, and in some cases dressed in full military uniform without a cassock.

See photos from Archpriest Krotkov's travels along the line of contact:

Sometimes ROC employees even took up arms and traveled with pump-action shotguns. Meanwhile, the convoys of vehicles with "humanitarian" drones were guarded by active-duty military personnel.

ROC landing party / Screenshot from Dmitry Krotkov's correspondence

It goes without saying that if any of the priests are wounded, the Russian propaganda machine immediately begins shouting about an "attack on civilians." For example, when the so-called Hieromonk Meletiy was moving with soldiers in the Kursk region and was hit by an FPV drone, the war criminals did not say a word about the pseudo-priest being in a military vehicle and wearing a uniform. Very convenient: when a priest fires a grenade launcher toward Ukrainian military personnel, ROC officers consider it a godly deed, but as soon as he is hit back, it’s "Ukrainians killing priests."

"Priest" wounded / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

Over the years of the full-scale war, the archpriest has visited occupier positions in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions countless times. He also traveled to the Kursk region, where he photographed destroyed Russian military vehicles.

See photos of destroyed Russian columns in the Kursk region:

Several times he visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, where he provided all kinds of support to the Rosgvardia troops stationed there.

See photos from Krotkov's trip to Enerhodar:

However, Krotkov spent most of his time traveling through conditionally rear Russian positions, where he engaged in the "spiritual nourishment of servicemen," as well as supervising the construction of dugout chapels.

See photos from the archpriest's trips along the front:

It is therefore not at all surprising that the collaborator was awarded an order by the Patriarch himself – for service in military conditions. Although it is truly difficult to understand why the ROC tries so hard to pretend that its priests are not full participants in hostilities, and why they invent separate awards for them.

However, should we be surprised that in the ROC, even regents (church choir leaders) have call signs?

In the ROC, everyone is at war / Screenshot from Dmitry Krotkov's correspondence

The Tale of the Priest-Rifleman and His Machine-Gunner Monk Comrade

Although Krotkov does indeed conduct services quite often in various underground dugouts, it should be noted that he practically never crosses paths with classic representatives of assault detachments. As a person who directly communicates with many generals, influential FSB officers, and top-level officials, he is not closely permitted near the actual front lines.

The back of Krotkov's head and General Rezantsev, "killed" by Arestovych. 2025 / Photo from the collaborator-archpriest's Telegram

The archpriest's inner circle, excluding church colleagues, consists precisely of individuals who occupy high rungs in the distorted Russian society. Thus, he himself has a certain influence, which he can use to resolve issues important to him. For example, regarding the transfer of a machine-gunner monk from one unit to another.

We are talking about one Ioann Koreshkov with the call sign "Koresh," who served in the 28th Regiment of Military Unit 12269, located in the remote village of Babayurt in Dagestan.

A call sign suitable for a priest / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

A cassock peeked from under Koreshkov's tunic, just as in the case of the traitor priest. Before signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, this character was a cleric at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Moscow. And before entering the service of the ROC, Koreshkov played episodic roles in Russian TV series, hung out in clubs, and managed to have 4 children.

Father Ioann – a typical killer-priest / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

In 2023, the cleric received an order from the church leadership to take up arms and head to Ukraine. He ended up in the "Dnepr" grouping of troops and was a rifleman for a while. However, the pseudo-priest did not like going on assaults and being a disposable soldier. So, with Krotkov's help, he found himself in the conditional rear in the position of a rifleman of a reserve company. However, this did not guarantee survival, as any change in command could place him in the vanguard of an offensive. So "Koresh" began looking for ways to be discharged from service. He even remembered his small children and his wife suffering from oncology, whom he had recently abandoned without any remorse.

Koreshkov's report for discharge from the occupation army / Photo from Krotkov's correspondence

Of course, the rifleman-priest was not discharged from any army, even after his contract expired. But with Krotkov's support, "Koresh" managed to obtain a transfer to another position – "for the pastoral nourishment of servicemen." Most interesting is the fact that the corresponding order was signed by Patriarch Kirill himself. This means the head of the ROC has the right to change people in military positions.

General Gundyaev / Photo from the correspondence of traitor priest Dmitry Krotkov

No less epic is the story of another church employee – Hieromonk Gerasim (civilian name – Denis Preobrazhensky). The monk, who took vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity, was transferred from undercover service to full military service in the Dnipro River Flotilla of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the position of a machine gunner for a water area patrol crew.

A machine-gunner hieromonk, what could be strange about that? / Photo from Dmitry Krotkov's correspondence

The monk served very zealously. So much so that the commanders even sent him letters of appreciation. And they were also going to "liquidate" him.

Letter of appreciation to Father Gerasim. Just as fake as the entire Russian church / Photo from Krotkov's correspondence

In reality, the hieromonk was by no means patrolling the Dnipro. He was a full-fledged machine gunner in the assaults on Ukrainian islands. At least until the commanders trusted him with a weapon. For usually, the machine-gunner priest would get dead drunk, occasionally lunging at his comrades-in-arms, representing a significant danger to them.

See the video of the drunk hieromonk in service in the Russian army:

Due to drunkenness, Preobrazhensky's machine gun was taken away, and he himself was transferred to the position of a medic in a collection and evacuation unit. If it hadn't been for Krotkov's intervention, the hieromonk would have either been sent to the islands on a one-way trip or simply "liquidated." To save the machine-gunner monk from execution, Crimea's main military priest used substantial connections.

In dialogues with his comrade-in-arms, Archpriest Vasily Gumarov, the priest admitted that Preobrazhensky was being beaten and might be liquidated "according to established practice." Krotkov's interlocutor, in turn, told about how the son of Father Sergey Kuznetsov was tortured (likely referring to the rector of the Church of the Great Martyr Marina in the village of Oboronne, which belongs to Sevastopol – 24 Channel).

Listen to the dialogues between Archpriests Gumarov and Krotkov about "liquidations" in the Russian army:

Whether the hieromonk stopped drinking is unknown. After long negotiations, he was eventually made a staff priest of a brigade, but this position has nothing to do with chaplaincy.

How ROC Priests Squabble for the Right to Steal Millions

Understandably, all "charitable" activity in the ROC is closely intertwined with the personal enrichment of those involved. This is very clearly seen in the example of Krotkov, who dreams of destroying all competing "companies." One such company is the Sevastopol Deanery of the Crimean Diocese of the ROC.

Moscow Patriarchate employees from the "city of Russian sailors" launched their own "refugee aid" and occupier support from the first days of the full-scale war called the "Humanitarian Mission of Sevastopol."

The money from the collections they conduct does not drop into Krotkov's accounts, and this fact literally drives him insane. The priest is infuriated by the activity of the deanery's press service head, Ekaterina Vinogradova, as well as the fact that the Sevastopol Deanery promotes itself through the distribution of humanitarian aid and assistance to the military, thereby taking a part of his market.

In communication with his loved ones, Krotkov constantly writes that his Sevastopol colleagues overestimate the volume of food products distributed to people. Along with friends, he mocks the collections organized by competitors.

Andrey Tanygin – Krotkov's assistant and head of his own charitable foundation "Andreyevsky House of Mercy" / Screenshot from the collaborator-archpriest's correspondence

Periodically, the priest writes denunciations against competitors. Both to his higher management and to the military – in hopes that they will cooperate more with him rather than with the "schismatics from Sevastopol."

Explaining such dislike for fellow "volunteers" is extremely simple: the ROC and various businesses allocate huge sums for the work of their "charitable" branches. Naturally, Krotkov would like to process all budgets himself. And steal more, as the priest is not at all shy about such enrichment, as evidenced by his correspondence.

For example, when the "Pomozhem" (We Help) Orthodox charity support platform allocated funds for the purchase of 3,500 Easter gifts for children from the occupied Kherson region. The archpriest brazenly ordered only 3,000 sets with that money.

How awkward / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

Of course, this nuance bothered no one, and the absence of gifts for 500 children was explained by saying they would simply be congratulated using diocesan funds. Moreover, as it turned out, Krotkov bought significantly fewer gifts by ordering "kulichi" (Easter cakes) from a bakery with a 60% discount. So he not only robbed half a thousand children but also pocketed up to 40% of the cost of each set.

Profiting from charity isn't the same as swinging a censer / Screenshot from the traitor priest's Telegram

It is therefore not at all surprising that the thief-priest is jealous of any competition in the charity market. And he very much wants to take over the Sevastopol priests' business.

Listen to the dialogues between Krotkov and his assistant Andrey Tanygin on how to "squeeze" the business from Sevastopol colleagues:

Where does the collaborator spend the stolen funds? Here, it's simple: over the years of the full-scale war, he has bought several plots of land and apartments, a house, and replaced an old Mitsubishi Pajero with a newer Land Cruiser Prado (the latter supposedly belongs to the church and was given to the priest for use by his superior).

In addition, the priest loves to sit in restaurants, visit the bathhouse, eat well, and enjoy alcoholic beverages.

See a small selection of photos from Krotkov's revelry:

Krotkov and his fellow combat priests frequently arrange yacht trips or trips to Moscow, Krasnodar, and other cities to relax.

See the video of the priests' drinking session on a yacht in Crimea:

Of course, all the purchases, entertainment, and revelry are not the archpriest's main expenses, as the biggest money is spent on his family. But not on supporting them – the priest's children can barely scrape by – but on saving his sons from prison.

Drunk Racer, Rapist, and Runaway Mother – Members of Dmitry Krotkov's Family

As strange as it may sound, the priest's large family does not live well at all. One could even say they are on the verge of starvation. Because in the family circle, the priest is a greedy despot who had four children with his wife and then abandoned them all to their fate.

His wife, who endured all the humiliation and deprivation from Krotkov, became so disillusioned with life in 2022 that she simply went to work in Samara, leaving the sons with her husband. However, after about a year, she had to return, as she was never able to earn enough for existence in a strange city. But hell awaited her at home.

Alexandra Krotkova's cry from the heart about living with the priest / Screenshot from the archpriest's correspondence

The priest took no part in raising the children. Whether they go to school, engage in sports, or grow up as normal human beings never concerned him at all.

The priest's children are essentially growing up homeless / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

Neither the wife nor the priest's children see even a tenth of his earnings. Almost every day they literally have to beg for alms so that Krotkov will give them at least enough to eat.

The priest's children don't have enough for food / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

They are so financially restricted that they are forced to beg for both food and essential items.

See a selection of messages from Krotkov's children in which they almost plead for money for basic needs:

And if in his reports for "charity" Krotkov can easily lose several tens of thousands, his family’s discipline in this regard is strict. For any amount spent, any purchases made, the children and the priest's wife must thank him and report back: set the products on the table and show the receipts.

If you don't say thank you, you stay hungry / Screenshot from the archpriest's correspondence

It is therefore not at all surprising that in such a survival mode, the priest's children have grown up to be criminals. 14-year-old Nikita, for example, wanders through Simferopol looking for things to steal. In one video message, he shamelessly suggested to the priest that they break into a garage and steal tires for him.

See the video of Archpriest Krotkov's son and friends breaking into someone's garage:

Luka, who is two years older than Mykyta, did not waste time on trifles at the same age. In 2023, the young man, a professional MMA fighter and wrestler, committed a group sexual assault on a schoolgirl along with his friends. The girl's father turned out to be a "hero of the SMO" (Special Military Operation), so upon returning home, he threatened the priest's family.

Listen to Krotkov's audio message about his son committing a group sexual assault:

The worthy descendant of his father confessed to everything after such a message. However, without any remorse. He claimed it happened about 1.5 – 2 years ago, as if it were no big deal.

The priest's son confesses to participating in a group sexual assault / Screenshot from Krotkov's correspondence

It is unknown how much money the collaborator had to spend to hush up the case. However, in the end, no official charges were even brought against Luka Dmitrievich.

The archpriest helped 20-year-old Zakhar avoid the army. He was on the wanted list for evading conscription, but the priest solved the problem through corruption.

The priest's children will not go to war / Screenshot from Dmitry Krotkov's correspondence

However, the eldest, Serafim, did serve his term. To prevent him from being drafted into the "SMO" after his return, Krotkov got him a job at the church to provide him with a draft deferment (reservation). The young man has to constantly travel with his father to military positions and load "humanitarian aid," but the father takes his salary from him.

Salary cashback from a fictitious employer / Screenshot from the Telegram of Crimea's main "charity" priest

Additionally, the 22-year-old man constantly performs small errands for his father: washing cars, going for beer, etc. At the same time, he is often drunk while driving and was even caught by the police in September 2022. For the occupation court to eventually reach the "correct decision" and return Serafim Dmitrievich's license, the priest had to put in a significant effort.

Watch the video of Serafim Krotkov's arrest for drunk driving:

Although it is unlikely that the priest's sons will go to kill Ukrainians with weapons in their hands, there is no doubt that after growing up in the atmosphere of the "Russian World," they will be completely unable to return to a normal society. From early childhood, violence was tolerated, the superiority of the Russian people was nurtured, and hatred for Ukraine was imposed on them. The priest-father failed his task, but the priest-propagandist succeeded entirely.

On the left – one of Krotkov's sons / Photo from the priest's correspondence

Simferopol priest oversees UOC-MP priests

In addition to "charitable" activities and work with parishioners in Crimea, Archpriest Krotkov also acted as a handler for terrorist priests from various regions of Ukraine. He corresponded with many employees of the UOC-MP (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate) and gave them tasks to photograph restricted facilities and collect information about military-industrial complex enterprises.

The editors of Channel 24 cannot publish screenshots of the relevant messages, as they are attached to criminal proceedings and may interfere with the investigation.

These facts prove once again that the UOC-MP is a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, which systematically works against Ukrainian statehood. Employees of the "head office" of the Kremlin religion are directly involved in the murders of tens of thousands of Ukrainians. They can by no means be considered priests from the perspective of Christianity and the Ten Commandments.

In the realm of the "Russian World," all these title holders have permission to tolerate violence, commit crimes, and cover them up. They are full participants in military actions, suppliers of means for taking lives, and those responsible for the thirst for blood among the personnel of the occupation army. However, Moscow diligently tries to hide the true face of its clergy, although an assault rifle is visible under literally everyone's cassock.