Fri Feb 28 16:50:59 UTC 2025: ## Russia Arrests Two Suspects in Alleged Plot to Assassinate Putin-Linked Priest

**Moscow, February 28, 2025** – Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of two individuals accused of plotting to assassinate Tikhon Shevkunov, a priest with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. The FSB claims the assassination attempt was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence.

The suspects, identified as Russian cleric Nikita Ivankovich and Ukrainian national Denis Popovich, were allegedly recruited via Telegram in mid-2024. Popovich, who served as Shevkunov’s assistant, reportedly confessed to being tasked with monitoring Shevkunov’s movements and subsequently finding an accomplice to carry out the killing. Ivankovich allegedly confessed to receiving a homemade bomb for the attack, which was planned for a residential building within the 14th-century Sretensky Monastery in Moscow, where Shevkunov previously served as superior.

The FSB presented videotaped confessions from both suspects, though the circumstances surrounding the confessions remain unclear. Authorities seized an improvised explosive device and two fake Ukrainian passports.

Shevkunov, 66, is a prominent figure described by Russian media as Putin’s confessor. His appointment as metropolitan of Crimea in 2023 further highlights his significance. Kyiv has yet to respond to the allegations.

This alleged assassination attempt follows a pattern of attacks claimed by Ukraine within Russia since the start of the war, most recently the December killing of Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops. The authenticity of the confessions and the full extent of Ukrainian involvement remain to be verified.

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