The court of Upper Pishma of Sverdlov Oblast has fined disgowned priest Nikolay Romanov 90,000 rubles for disseminating fake news about the coronavirus, RIA Novosti reports.

The disgowned priest didn’t show up to the court hearing, and his attorney claimed that there is no evidence in the case materials about predetermined dissemination of information.

The priest was in the spotlight after he started saying that the coronavirus is a fake pandemic and declared that people are being deprived of their freedom and jobs, and this was why he was disgowned.