Court jails Russian Orthodox vlogger midway through trial for rape of 10-year-old girl

An Orthodox blogger and Ukraine war veteran currently on trial in St. Petersburg for the rape of a 10-year-old girl has been remanded in custody after prosecutors challenged the court’s original decision to allow him to remain at liberty until a verdict was reached, local newspaper Fontanka reported on Tuesday.

According to investigators, between September 2022 and February 2024, Klaud Rommel repeatedly raped his then girlfriend’s daughter. Rommel, who was first detained on 30 September, has denied the charges against him and claimed only to have given the girl a medical massage.

The victim’s godmother reportedly contacted the police when she became aware of the abuse, prompting Rommel to enlist to fight in Ukraine once law enforcement began conducting its inquiries. However, Rommel was returned home after being wounded and was detained shortly afterwards.

Last month, the court placed Rommel under the observation of a military unit in the Leningrad region rather than remanding him in custody. Rommel has pleaded not guilty at the trial, which is being held behind closed doors. If found guilty he faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to local news website mr7.ru.

During his deployment to Ukraine, Rommel, a Russian Orthodox vlogger whose YouTube channel has around 7,000 subscribers, made videos on the front line, in one case filming straight after an attack in which he almost lost a leg.