A Russian national who had been living illegally in Greece and residing as a monk at a monastery on Mount Athos was arrested at “Macedonia” Airport in Thessaloniki.

The defendant, a cleric by profession, was detained during a travel document check as he attempted to fly from Thessaloniki to Istanbul, with Moscow as his final destination.

Authorities determined that the monk had entered Greece on January 15, 2022, and was required to leave by February 28 of the same year — but he did not. In March, he visited Mount Athos with a three-day residence permit (from March 1–3 to March 4, 2022), yet remained there for nearly three years.

He was arrested on Wednesday morning and brought before the Thessaloniki Single-Member Misdemeanor Court, where he was tried under the summary procedure. The court found him guilty and imposed a two-year prison sentence and a €5,000 fine, without suspension.

Under the new law, the defendant was asked whether he wished to serve the prison term or leave the country. He chose to return to his homeland — which had been his intended destination when he was apprehended at the airport.

In his testimony, he stated that since March 1, 2022, he had been living at the Saint Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos and that he now wished to return home to his daughter.

Regarding the charge, he admitted his wrongdoing, saying:

“I intended to return in 2022, but I couldn’t find a ticket, so I decided to stay on Mount Athos. I thought that when I decided to go back, I would just pay a fine and that would be it. I didn’t know it was a crime.”

It is worth noting that the Saint Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos is also known as the “Russian Monastery,” as it has housed Russian monks for centuries. In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the monastery in 2016.