THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION OF THE ARRESTED PRIEST MYKOLAY MYKOLAYOVYCH TIHOMIROV ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE CASE

The purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the criminal investigation case against the priest Tikhomirov Mykola Mykolaiovich. During the analysis, we established the psychological state of the priest during interrogations and identified the falsified elements of the case. The research methodology is based on phenomenological and anthropological approaches. Due to this, we have come to consider the source as a material product of purposeful human activity. The anthropological approach of this study investigates the priest's biography, beliefs, experiences, and physical and moral condition. To achieve the study's goals and objectives, general scientific and specific research methods are used (heuristic, historical-retrospective, historical-genetic, comparative-historical, problem-chronological, and biographical). The conclusions are drawn based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and value approach to the studied phenomena. Based on the collected evidence, we reconstructed the events that happened to the priest during the arrest, analyzed the change in his moral and psychological state, and identified several external factors that led to the deterioration of the prisoner's health. During the criminal case's analysis, we concluded that all the witnesses had a subjective attitude toward the suspect, their testimony during the investigation differed from one another and the words of M. M. Tikhomirov. Therefore, presumably, the NKVD officers fabricated the case to purge the clergy in Chernihiv to reduce the influence of priests among the population. In our opinion, before the arrest and interrogations, the priest had a normal moral and psychological state. However, during the trial, the priest's condition changed, and interrogations and intimidation changed his behavior. As a result, he ended up in the Chernihiv psychiatric hospital and was forced to be treated. We believe the verdict of M. M. Tikhomirov was illegal. During the court session, the priest did not have a defense. It is crucial to note that the prisoner did not admit his guilt. Furthermore, after the court session, he wrote an appeal, which got rejected. The Soviet system destroyed human health, crippled life by exile, and ruined the priest and his family's reputation for years to come.