Obukhovo, Moscow Province, Russia, February 19, 2026
Photo: spzh.eu
The Russian Orthodox Church has suspended the rector of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Obukhovo, a settlement in the Moscow region, after a video of a weapons demonstration inside the church spread across social media and quickly caused a scandal.
The footage shows three young men in military uniforms performing a demonstration with Kalashnikov assault rifles, at one point pointing the weapons toward the altar. A screen on the church identifies them as members of the Dynamite Patriotic Education Center.
The demonstration was held on February 15, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, which has also been celebrated as World Orthodox Youth Day since 1953.
His Grace Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha and Orekhovo-Zuevo moved quickly to act on the scandal, issuing a decree temporarily suspending Archpriest Sergiy Reshetnyak from his duties as rector.
The decree cites a violation of a 2017 directive requiring that youth events be held in spaces not designated for worship. The suspension was imposed on the basis of a report filed the day after the incident by the dean of the churches of the Bogorodsky District, who has been appointed to serve as acting rector of the parish during the investigation.
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