Ilya Sigida remains under house arrest

Investigators convinced a court in Slavyansk-on-Kuban to extend the house arrest of Hieromonk Ilya Sigida, who is accused in a criminal case. A parishioner of the church where Sigida lives reported a search of her home.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," a court in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in December 2025 deemed Ilya Sigida's (Hieromonk Jonah) publication about Putin to be disrespectful of the state and fined him 40,000 rubles. By the end of December, Sigida had received four fines totaling 155,000 rubles in cases of disrespect for the state and discrediting the army. He decided not to appeal, citing his religious beliefs.

The Slavyansk City Court extended Ilya Sigida's house arrest for another month, until February 20, according to his mother, Tatyana, who was present in court.

The judge and investigator had previously said that he was not allowed to communicate with anyone.

"The arrest was extended until February 20. There was a court hearing today [January 23] to extend the arrest. They called an hour before the court hearing and came to pick Ilya up. I was there, sitting in the courtroom. The investigator wasn't there, and the appointed lawyer was different from the one he had last time when he was placed on house arrest. He practically said nothing, sat silently. Ilya asked questions about who he could and couldn't communicate with. He explained to the court that many parishioners come to the church: "Some came to visit Bishop Viktor Pivovarov, others just wanted to see how he was doing, and so on. The judge and investigator had previously told Ilya that he was not allowed to communicate with anyone. But they believed that people could come to the place of his house arrest," the woman told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

A court source provided a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, on condition of anonymity, with a court ruling dated November 28, 2025, in which the court granted the investigator's motion and placed Ilya Sigida under house arrest for a period of 1 month and 23 days, until January 20, 2026.

According to the document, a copy of which is in the possession of the "Caucasian Knot," Ilya Sigida, born in 1991, has no permanent registration or place of residence, and the priest's home has been chosen as the place of detention. Viktor Pivovarov, where the church is located.

According to the ruling, Sigida is charged with two counts under Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Russian Criminal Code. 1 He is prohibited from leaving his home, communicating with parties to the criminal proceedings, or using the internet except to communicate with the investigator and defense attorney. He is also required to appear when summoned by the investigator and the court.

A parishioner of the church, who asked that her name not be published, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that her home had been searched and questioned regarding her connections to Ilya Sigida and Viktor Pivovarov.

All who advocate peace and Christian values ​​are their enemies and are to blame for everything.

"It seems the investigators have nothing better to do than chase after the elderly bishop, his assistant, Hieromonk Sigida, and believers. They took my phone and computer. I don't know what they're looking for or what they found, and I don't know what they want from me either. They threatened to open a criminal case under the same article as Jonah. All who advocate peace and Christian values ​​are their enemies and are to blame for everything. The investigator is searching for those involved in Jonah's case. "This is a very dangerous situation not only for Jonah, but also for everyone who comes to the church to visit Viktor Pivovarov," she said.

Priest Viktor Pivovarov managed to defend the church from authorities' attempts to demolish it

According to her, Viktor Pivovarov is almost bedridden. "Sigida is caring for him around the clock and devotedly. Almost none of the parishioners understand the actions of the investigators or the system as a whole. Many are intimidated, morally and psychologically depressed, like the bishop and Jonah. We are all united and held together by faith," said a resident of Slavyansk-on-Kuban.

As a reminder, in October 2024, Viktor Pivovarov stopped attending services at the church because he was unable to get out of bed after a fractured femur. After the criminal prosecution for fake news about the army began, Pivovarov was stalked and threatened; his stalker insulted the priest online and spread false messages about him.

The Russian Orthodox Church (RosOC) is a religious association of non-canonical Orthodoxy of the Russian tradition, operating in Russia and the former USSR. It does not have Eucharistic communion (the ability to celebrate liturgies together) with the Moscow Patriarchate or any other local Orthodox Church, according to the "Modern Russian Encyclopedia."