Russia says it foiled assassination plot against Orthodox bishop close to Putin

Russian security services announced Friday they had thwarted an alleged assassination plot targeting Metropolitan Tikhon Shevkunov, a powerful Orthodox Church leader with close ties to President Vladimir Putin.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said it arrested two suspects in Moscow—a Ukrainian and a Russian—who allegedly planned to plant explosives in Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery during a visit by the 66-year-old bishop.

“The suspects were recruited by Ukraine’s GUR intelligence service through Telegram,” the FSB said in a statement.

Russian state news agency TASS identified the detained men as Denis Popovich, who reportedly worked as Shevkunov’s assistant, and Nikita Ivankovich, described as a fellow cleric.

According to FSB allegations, the suspects received an improvised explosive device in December with instructions to “physically eliminate Metropolitan Tikhon” before fleeing Moscow using false passports.

Russian media outlet Zvezda released videos showing security forces detaining one suspect and another showing a handcuffed man lying face-down in an apartment. The outlet also shared what it claimed were confession videos from the suspects.

Putin’s confessor influence in Russia

Metropolitan Tikhon, often described in media reports as “Putin’s confessor,” holds significant influence within Russia’s religious and political circles. He serves on Putin’s advisory council for culture and arts and has maintained a relationship with the Russian leader since the 1990s.

Following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, Shevkunov was appointed Metropolitan of the peninsula. His public appearances alongside Putin and rumored potential to succeed Patriarch Kirill as the church’s highest authority underscore his prominence.

Ukrainian authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.

The reported plot comes amid a series of attacks targeting Russian or pro-Russian figures since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many of these attacks have been attributed to Kyiv or claimed by Ukrainian intelligence services, including the December assassination of General Igor Kirillov in Moscow.