Russian court jails Orthodox blogger charged with child rape after prosecutors appeal release decision

A St. Petersburg court has ordered the pre-trial detention of Klaud Rommel, an Orthodox blogger and war veteran facing charges of raping a child, after state prosecutors appealed a lower court’s decision to allow him to remain free under supervision pending trial.

Rommel was first arrested on October 1. According to the outlet Fontanka, the blogger had previously worked unofficially at a church and lived with the victim and her mother. In February, a relative of the family reportedly contacted the police after seeing Rommel in bed with the victim, who was partially undressed. Rommel claimed he had been giving the victim a massage.

After law enforcement began investigating, Rommel enlisted in the military and went to Ukraine, but he returned after being injured.