ALBAWABA - Tikhon Shevkunov, a prominent member of the Russian Orthodox Church and a man often associated with President Vladimir Putin as his spiritual counselor, was the subject of an alleged murder attempt that Russian police stated had been foiled.
According to the Federal Security Service (FSB), Ukraine's military intelligence was behind the scheme, which was designed to kill Shevkunov in Moscow.
Security officers detained a Russian and a Ukrainian citizen who reportedly plotted the assault since mid-2024 after being recruited over Telegram, according to Russian officials. A handmade explosive device that was allegedly intended for use in the operation was also confiscated by authorities.
Although neither Shevkunov nor the Kremlin have formally acknowledged his status as a confessor, he has long been regarded as a close friend of Putin. He was named Metropolitan of Crimea in 2023, a significant ecclesiastical role in the area that Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
This development coincides with a string of targeted killings connected to the continuing confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. In the past, Ukrainian intelligence has taken credit for actions carried out within Russian territory, such as the murders of those closely associated with Moscow's political and military elite.
Due to the complexity of wartime intelligence operations, independent verification of the most recent Russian charges is still challenging, and Ukrainian authorities have not yet responded.
