A senior bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church, who is reported to be a close associate of President Putin, has expressed interest in meeting two Ukrainian men accused of plotting to kill him.
The report surfaced last week via Russia’s Rossiya-1 television channel, where a presenter stated that the two detainees, Nikita Ivankovich and Denis Popovich, had “promised to consider it".
The pair are currently awaiting trial, accused of attempting to attack Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol-Crimea using a homemade explosive device during a visit to Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery, as reported by Church Times.
However, Archpriest Andrei Kordochkin, who ministers under the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Spain, suggested the story could enhance the Metropolitan’s public image while reinforcing anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russia.
“It’s being said that Ukraine is a terrorist state, preparing an assassination attempt on Putin’s spiritual mentor."
“If the Metropolitan looks like the potential victim of a terrorist attack, this will contribute to his glorification... there’s no reason to expect a good outcome,” he told Radio Liberty.
Russian security forces made the arrests public on 28th February, coinciding with a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US. President Donald Trump.
A video was also released allegedly showing the suspects admitting they had been instructed by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out the plan.
The bishop, a former filmmaker and bestselling author had previously been honoured by the state in 2022 and 2024.
As news of the bishop’s request to meet the suspects circulated, another prominent Russian Orthodox priest, now serving under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, spoke out about the Church’s alignment with the Russian state.
“The Church has merged into one with the State. Christians who disagree with Patriarch Kirill and the Russian World ideology now propagated instead of the gospel are persecuted," Rev Alexei Uminsky said in an interview with Die Tagespost.
Uminsky was defrocked and removed from his Moscow parish in January 2024 for declining to say an official prayer for Russia’s military victory.
“Many Christians are also in Russian prisons, and the Church has forgotten them all, dissociating itself because they were convicted for their anti-war stance,” he added.