Assassination and punishment: The FSB prevented a terrorist attack against Metropolitan Tikhon

On Friday, February 28, it became known about the prevention of a terrorist act that the Ukrainian special services planned to commit against Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol and Crimea. The security service officers detained two men, who turned out to be an assistant to the metropolitan and a cleric of the temple. A criminal case has been opened into the attempted murder. The details of the incident are in the Izvestia article.

Terrorist attack against Metropolitan Tikhon: what is known, suspects

On Friday, February 28, 2025, employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia prevented a terrorist act, which was prepared by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR MOU). It is reported that two men planned to detonate a bomb at the Sretensky Monastery in the center of Moscow in order to kill Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol and Crimea. The suspects have already been detained.

One of them is Tikhon's assistant named Denis Popovich, and the other is cleric Nikita Ivankovich.

During the interrogation, Denis Popovich, a citizen of Ukraine, told law enforcement officers the following: "..."I was recruited by the staff of the GUR in order to monitor the movements of Metropolitan Tikhon, this was offered under threat of reprisal and murder of my relatives."

According to the FSB, the recruitment was carried out through Telegram. In addition, it was established that one of the criminals illegally owned the metropolitan's account on a social network, controlled contacts and knew about all his trips. The investigators found more than 70 Ukrainian contacts in Popovich and Ivankovich's phones, including the press secretary of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Margarita Rivchachenko.

The detainee also said that his goal was to find an ally and then eliminate Metropolitan Tikhon with a bomb, which was given to them "as a bookmark." After the crime was committed, both had to leave Russia using fake Ukrainian passports.

The second suspect, Nikita Ivankovich, said during the interrogation that he was recruited by the Ukrainian special services in mid-2024.

According to a video published by Izvestia, during the interrogation, one suspect stated that he had no money or phones, and the smartphone on his bed did not belong to him. He also said that it was "the first time he had seen" a sapper's shovel, although traces of earth had been found on it. In addition, FSB officers found a cache in a wooded area where a flash drive or similar electronic device were stored in a plastic container, envelopes with two Ukrainian passports containing photos of suspects and fake names.

According to the FSB, the improvised explosive device was handed over to Popovich and Ivankovich in December 2024. The attack was originally planned for January 2025, on Christmas Day, but due to Popovich's detention, the attempt was postponed until the end of February. Popovich was arrested by police near the Turgenevskaya metro station due to inappropriate behavior.

A criminal case was opened against the men under Article 30 ("Preparation for a crime or attempted crime"), Part 2 of Article 205 ("Preparation of a terrorist act"), as well as Part 4 of Article 222.1 ("Illegal trafficking of explosive devices committed by an organized group"). If the attack had been carried out, the detainees could have faced from 20 years in prison to life in prison. Since only the preparation was carried out, the court cannot assign more than half of the maximum sentence to the guilty, clarifies RIA Novosti. They can face from 8 to 12 years for illegal trafficking of explosive devices.

Reaction to the preparations for the terrorist attack against Metropolitan Tikhon

Information about the preparation of a terrorist attack against a clergyman caused a great resonance in society.

Rector of St. George's Church in the village of Nakhabino, Moscow region, Priest Pavel Ostrovsky wrote in his Telegram channel:

"The assassination attempt on Metropolitan Tikhon Shevkunov is the breaking of the bottom of abomination and stupidity by the Ukrainian authorities. <...And if they wanted to disrupt the truce negotiations with this failed abomination, then on the contrary they gave the Russian diplomats extra arguments to take a more principled position. Moreover, they have weakened their own negotiating positions, since few people want to get involved with the terrorists."

Mufti Albir Krganov, head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia and a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, said: "It is a shocking event that today they do not shy away from killing religious figures who lead their ministry."

At the same time, at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki, where one of the suspects, Ivankovich, served, he was described as a diligent worker and a sweet young man.

What is known about Metropolitan Tikhon

Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) is a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the head of the Crimean Metropolis. The clergyman played a key role in uniting the Moscow Patriarchate with the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia.

Georgy Shevkunov (Tikhon is a monastic name) was born in 1952 in Moscow. Shevkunov's mother, Elena, is a well—known microbiologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, who has more than 130 scientific papers on her account. In addition to his mother, his grandmother took an active part in the upbringing of the future clergyman.

Shevkunov's family was not religious, so he discovered his faith only during his student years. The man became a monk in 1991, while the mother resisted the choice of her son. Two years after his tonsure, Shevkunov was appointed rector of the Moscow compound of the Pskov Caves Monastery. In 1998, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Shevkunov is familiar with Vladimir Putin. The metropolitan is actively involved in projects of the presidential administration.

In addition, he organized the popular theme parks "Russia is My Story", spread throughout the country, including new regions.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia appointed Tikhon head of the Crimean Metropolia in October 2023.

In November 2024, Shevkunov was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, for the restoration of the Novy Chersonesos Museum complex in Sevastopol. In addition, in 2022, the metropolitan received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree.