How the FSB revealed the preparation of the attempt on Metropolitan Tikhon
The FSB officers prevented the attack with the aim of killing the Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimean Tikhon (George Shevkunov), who is called the confessor of President Vladimir Putin. A bomb in the residence of the Metropolitan on Lubyanka, on the instructions of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, was to be laid by the assistant clergyman Denis Popovich, who was detained along with clergy Nikita Ivankovich. According to Kommersant, the defendants can be accused not only of terrorism, but also of Gosizmen, therefore, despite the admission of guilt, they will spend many years in colonies of a strict regime.
According to Kommersant sources in power structures, employees of the Department for the Protection of the Constitutional system and other FSB divisions were developed by Denis Popovich and Nikita Ivankovich for several months. The attention of the special services of the Metropolitan and cleric of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki was attracted by the fact that at first they actively corresponded on the network with opponents of his, and then began to send small money transfers to private individuals and organizations supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Young people were detained after they contacted the TELEGRAM with a curator from the GUR Ministry of Defense, using the nickname of Thor Steinar (German brand of clothing, popular with extremists), and began to perform tasks from it.
At first, Popovich transmitted information about Metropolitan trips and meetings, and then began to prepare an attempt on him. Subsequently, Popovich said that he was forced to assist the GUR, as the special services threatened his mother living in the Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi. Ivankovich seemed to act for ideological reasons.
The last on the smartphone was dropped by the coordinates on which he found a cache. It contained Ukrainian passports with his and Popovich photographs, but on the other people's names that they had to use after the action to cross abroad, as well as a package of apple juice, charged with explosives, and a remote control for its remote explosion.
Nikita Ivankovich turned it closer to the temple in Sokolniki, having equipped a cache in the Pinter Island park. According to the readings of the attackers, Denis Popovich was supposed to attribute a package with a bomb to the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow, where the Metropolitan residence is located, and hide it under the bed or chair, and making sure that Vladyka Tikhon will be in the defeat zone, bring the bomb into action. Given that the explosion could suffer not only the metropolitan, but also other people, the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia recognized the actions of the attackers with the preparation for the terrorist attack (Article 30 and Article 205 of the Criminal Code) and the illegal turnover of explosive devices by an organized group (Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code). In addition, Denis Popovich, who has citizenships of Russia and Ukraine, and Russian Nikita Ivankovich can incriminate the Stateizer (Article 275 of the Criminal Code). Despite the admission of guilt and active assistance to the investigation, they can receive twenty or more years of strict regime. The FSB reported that the defendants have already been arrested, however, there are no information in the database of metropolitan vessels about the election of preventive measures, which may be associated with a certain secrecy of the investigation.
“An attempt to attempt on Metropolitan Tikhon is a political action. This is the desire to discredit the state as a whole, to show the weakness of Russia, ”said Roman Lunkin, Deputy Director of the Institute of European RAS, the head of the Center for the Study of Religious and Society Problems, noting that the crime was supposed to occur in Lubyanka, near the FSB building, in the Sretensky Monastery. Recall that President Vladimir Putin opened his new cathedral with Vladyka Tikhon.
According to the interlocutor of Kommersant, Metropolitan Tikhon became the creator of « a new place of power in Khersones, the font of Prince Vladimir. »
“Earlier in the minds of Russians, this symbol of de fact was absent. It also entered the Crimea and all our new territories into our memory and modern consciousness. This alone should have aroused hatred among the associates of Zelensky. No wonder, due to the incoming threats, Vladyka Tikhon has been guarding the FSO since November 2023, ”said Mr. Lunkin. He does not exclude that the terrorist attack was preparing in order to disrupt Russian negotiations with the United States, psychologically influencing the country's leadership.
“When the prospects for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine were opened, we received information about the steps aimed at its further escalation. The purpose of the Ukrainian special services and those who patronize them was to be the famous figure of the Russian Church – Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimean Tikhon. The performers were chosen people from the surroundings of the Vladyka, who have Ukrainian roots and relatives in Ukraine, who are most likely in the position of actual hostages, ” – wrote In his Telegram channel, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with the Society and the Media of Vakhtang Kipshidze. According to him, one should not be surprised that the Ukrainian special services are trying to do the same as in Ukraine – to destroy the church. “God -fence is what motivates those who are trying to kill and pursue clergy,” he added. Mr. Kipshidze thanked law enforcement officers for « managing to avoid the commission of a terrible terrorist act. » “We hope that the plans of those who want to continue to kindle the conflict will not be able to come true,” added the interlocutor of Kommersant.
For the Kyiv authorities « there is nothing saint », Summed up The result of the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on what happened. Metropolitan Tikhon himself did not comment on the incident “Kommersant”.
