‘Sheep do not judge their shepherd': Sermon after child abuse conviction shocks victims
Meanwhile, a document penned by the paedophile priest himself, which ordered followers 'when you are abused, be quiet', has been quietly removed after decades in a government registry.
Alexis Rosentool was found guilty on June 20 of child sexual abuse dating from the 1980s and 2000s, when he was a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in Sydney.
The Herald revealed pro-Russian propagandist Simeon Boikov, aka Aussie Cossack, had collaborated with police to convince victims to speak up and bring down Rosentool.
The case unexpectedly landed Boikov in the Russian consulate, where he remains after 930 days, having fled there after being arrested for breaching a suppression order over Rosentool's name.
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Rosentool's conviction has divided the ROCOR church. Some maintain support for him, according to Archpriest Boris Ignatievsky of the Cabramatta church, where Rosentool once served.
'Sadly, this sorrowful event has split our diocesan community, those who are for the resolution and those against,' Ignatievsky told his congregation on Sunday.
Ignatievsky said members had 'succumbed to the sinful temptation' of judging others.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Russian drones attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure
Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale. Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale. Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale. Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale.
7NEWS
5 hours ago
- 7NEWS
US film producer Francis Kaufmann accused of murdering Anastasia Trofimova and her baby in Rome
A US film producer accused of the murders of a Russian woman and her infant daughter has faced a preliminary legal hearing in Rome after being extradited from Greece to Italy. The California native, named in an international arrest warrant and by Italian police as Francis Kaufmann, was extradited over the weekend. Italian police say the 46-year-old previously used an authentic US passport in the name of Rexal Ford and an Italian identity card in the name of Matteo Capozzi. The preliminary hearing took place in Rome's Rebibbia prison on Tuesday. According to the Rome prosecutor's office, Kaufmann exercised his right not to answer any questions and did not respond to the charges against him. He was questioned by investigating judge Flavia Costantini and Rome prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini, and was represented by lawyer Carlo Ludovico Favino, the prosecutor's office said. The bodies of Anastasia Trofimova, 29, and her 11-month-old baby were found separately in overgrown areas of Rome's Villa Pamphili park on June 7. The baby girl had been starved and strangled, but the cause of her mother's death has still not been determined, police said in early July. The victims' identities were unknown for more than a week before an Italian TV show that highlights missing persons ran photos released by police of Trofimova's extensive tattoos, which her mother in Moscow recognised after a friend sent them to her. Subsequently interviewed for the missing persons show, Trofimova's mother said her daughter had met a man she knew by the name Rexal Ford in Malta, where she was studying English. She had never met her granddaughter, but was in sporadic touch with the couple and child, she told Italian investigators and Italian media. Kaufmann, who has denied involvement in the murders, was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos on June 13. He fought extradition through a local lawyer who no longer represents him. Italian police say his DNA was found on the black garbage bag in which Trofimova's body was found. DNA testing to determine if Kaufmann is the baby's father will be carried out now that he is in Italy. Kaufmann, who promoted himself as a film producer and screenwriter, used his Rexal Ford alias to scout movie locations, including several rooftop terraces in Rome, Cascini said in a press conference last week announcing Kaufmann's impending extradition to Rome. Italian police said in a press conference on June 11 that Kaufmann, Trofimova and the baby lived rough in various parks in Rome and ate at the city's soup kitchens, despite him having multiple credit cards and often taking potential film investors to expensive restaurants.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Do not bomb Moscow: Trump restricts new weapons for Ukraine
London: The Trump administration has warned Ukraine against bombing Moscow under an arms deal that will ship 'massive' amounts of American weapons to the country, raising new doubts about the pressure being applied on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The restriction came within hours of news reports that US President Donald Trump had asked Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky whether his forces were able to strike Moscow and St Petersburg. The White House rushed to respond by saying the president was not suggesting Ukraine should intensify the war by hitting the major cities, insisting he was only asking a question in a private conversation with Zelensky. Trump reinforced the message soon afterwards by declaring it would be 'too bad' for Putin if he did not reach a deal to end the Ukraine war by the US's 50-day deadline, but that this did not mean firing missiles at the Russian capital. 'No, he [Zelensky] shouldn't target Moscow,' Trump said late on Tuesday in Washington, DC (Wednesday AEST). The private remarks and public clarification highlight the US president's growing frustration with Putin and his sudden shift to pile pressure on Moscow as well as the desire to moderate how great that pressure might be. Loading Ukraine has sent drones far into Russia, targeting military sites, but has not made major attacks on civilians. It has been restricted in how it can use US-supplied rocket artillery such as the HIMARS and ATACMS, amid wariness in the West about Putin's threat to use tactical nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory. The new weapons deal, which Trump unveiled on Monday, will be funded by NATO members and will deliver more Patriot systems, which are used to intercept Russian missiles, as well as ammunition and other missiles to help Ukraine go on the attack.
