FSB claims to foil assassination attempt on Putin's 'confessor'
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that they thwarted an assassination attempt on Metropolitan Tikhon Shevkunov, unofficially known as Vladimir Putin's confessor. Two individuals were detained in connection with this, including the metropolitan's assistant.
Much of the information provided by Russian media or government representatives is part of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information war waged by the Russian Federation.
The FSB stated that the detainees admitted to planning the assassination, which was supposedly prepared by Ukrainian intelligence. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blamed the "Kyiv regime" for the attempt.
However, a representative of the Ukrainian military intelligence, Andriy Yusov, dismissed these accusations, calling them "absurd" and "lies." "We fight according to the rules of war and international law," added Yusov.
According to the independent portal Meduza, the detained individuals are a Russian citizen and a Ukrainian citizen with a residence permit in Russia. Government media in Moscow reported that they are Denis Popovich, Shevkunov's assistant, and Nikita Ivankovich. Previously, "Novaya Gazeta" reported that in mid-February, a Moscow court ordered the detention of two seminary graduates, including Popovich.
Background of events
Metropolitan Tikhon, a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, serves as the metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea. From 1995 to 2018, he was the head of the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow, which is located near the FSB headquarters. This monastery has a turbulent history, including a period of closure in 1925 and later controversies related to activities on its premises.
In 2012, a brothel was discovered on the monastery's grounds, operating in a private establishment unrelated to the monastery. The police shut it down. The monastery maintained that it was unaware of this activity.
