Police detained the leader of a Mormon church cell in Vyborg, Leningrad Region, over money transfers to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the outlet Baza reported.
According to Baza's source, the detained man was born in Ukraine and holds Russian and Israeli citizenship. He had led the local congregation for several years. Investigators searched his apartment and the church premises.
Charges and possible sentence
A criminal case has been opened under the statute on financing extremist activity. The man faces up to eight years in prison. He is also being checked for possible cooperation with foreign intelligence services.
FBK is listed by Russia's Justice Ministry as a foreign agent organization and has been designated extremist and undesirable, and it is banned in Russia. Mormons are followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Christian movement founded in the United States in the 19th century, with its headquarters in Utah overseeing branches worldwide.
