Two priests accused of plot to kill Russia bishop, Putin's 'confessor'
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Clerics Denis Popovich, 27, and Nikita Ivankovich, 28, have been detained by Russia's FSB security service.
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Russian police officers secure the area near the building of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in the background in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019 (AP)
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained clerics Denis Popovich, 27, and Nikita Ivankovich, 28, over allegations that Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence plotted to assassinate the Metropolitan of Crimea, Tikhon Shevkunov, 66, with a bomb.
Popovich, a Ukrainian citizen, serves as the secretary to Tikhon, a senior Russian Orthodox leader in Crimea, which is under Russian control.
Popovich was reportedly arrested on January 13 while traveling to the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow, though the alleged plot was only disclosed today. Both clerics stand accused of financially supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2022.
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Ivankovich, a Russian citizen, stated in an FSB video that he was recruited by the GUR in mid-2024. “My task was the physical destruction of the Metropolitan of Crimea. The attack was planned through the detonation of an improvised explosive device,” he said.
According to the FSB, Popovich had access to Tikhon’s Telegram account, monitored his correspondence, and tracked his movements. In an apparent confession recorded by the FSB, Popovich claimed he was “recruited by the GUR [military intelligence] to follow the movements of Metropolitan Tikhon.”
He further stated, “The task was set to find an ally and liquidate Metropolitan Tikhon by means of explosives. It was to be planted in the living quarters of Metropolitan Tikhon at the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow.” Popovich added that he was “threatened with reprisals and the killing of my relatives” if he refused to cooperate.
Authorities said the pair retrieved explosives and Ukrainian passports from a stash hidden in a forest. If convicted on terrorism charges, both clerics could face life imprisonment.
