The easing of Ilya Sigida's pretrial detention came as a surprise to his family.

The investigator himself petitioned to lift the house arrest and transfer Hieromonk Ilya (Sigida), accused of rehabilitating Nazism, to a restraining order; a court in Slavyansk-on-Kuban upheld his position. Sigida's mother believes that the mitigation of the restraining order is due to her son's deteriorating health.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on November 27, 2025, masked security forces took Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov of the Russian Orthodox Church, along with monetary donations and documents, from the church, after which they took his assistant, Ilya Sigida, with them. Sigida's mother was informed that he was being detained in connection with a criminal case for discrediting the army. On November 28, he was released under house arrest. Parishioners reported that after his arrest, Sigida was wearing a torn cassock and had his head shaved, and Sigida's mother described her son's condition as depressed. Sigida's arrest has been extended several times.

The Slavyansky City Court of Krasnodar Krai has lifted the house arrest of Hieromonk Ilya Sigida, accused of desecrating symbols of military glory through online publications. The decision was made on April 17 at the request of the investigation, relatives of the accused told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the accused's mother, Tatyana Sigida, at the hearing on April 17, the investigator himself filed a motion to lift the house arrest and replace it with a ban on certain activities. "It was unexpected for us. Ilya and I were very happy," she said. The court granted the motion.

According to the court's ruling, Sigida will be prohibited from using the internet and communication devices, as well as from making phone calls. However, until the ruling comes into force on April 20, his previous preventive measure, including wearing an electronic bracelet, will remain in effect. Previously, investigators justified the need for house arrest by citing the fact that forensic examinations in the case had not been completed and not all witnesses, whom investigators believe the accused could have influenced, had been questioned.

The accused's mother attributed the mitigation of his pretrial detention to his deteriorating health. She stated that the conditions of his house arrest limited his ability to seek medical care. "This problem must now be resolved," she noted.

Elena Pavlova, a lawyer unrelated to the case, called the situation rare. She stated that an investigator's motion to mitigate a previously imposed pretrial detention is uncommon, but does not violate the law. "This is possible if the accused cooperates with the investigation, admits guilt, and there is no risk of concealment or pressure on witnesses," she explained.

At the same time, some parishioners coming to the courthouse to support Ilya Sigida attribute the investigators' petition to other reasons. They express the opinion that the change of position may be motivated by moral and religious considerations.

09:16 25.07.2024

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

The court's decision to deny the demolition of the church in Slavyansk-on-Kuban has entered into force. The authorities' appeal deadline, which had previously demanded the church's demolition, has expired.

Parishioners also note that the hieromonk continues to live at the church and care for the seriously ill Priest Viktor Pivovarov, whose condition, they say, is deteriorating.

Pivovarov was previously fined for discrediting the army in connection with a publication condemning the military actions in Ukraine. The priest denied the charges but declined to appeal the court's decision.

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 with any of the local Orthodox churches, according to the Modern Russian Encyclopedia.