Denys Popovych and Nikita Ivankovich are political prisoners
Two young Orthodox clerics face multiple criminal charges over an alleged plot to assassinate Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov), described as Putin’s ‘confessor’
Denys Popovych is a Ukrainian citizen and native of Ukraine, a graduate of the Sretensky Theological Seminary. His friend Nikita Ivankovich is a Muscovite of Ukrainian descent, also a graduate of the Sretensky Theological Seminary and the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church-wide Postgraduate and Doctoral School. Both clerics belonged to the inner circle of Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov), who is often described as Vladimir Putin’s ‘confessor’. At the same time, both were known within church circles for their anti-war and generally opposition-minded views. Nikita Ivankovich also sang the memorial service at the funeral of Aleksei Navalny.
Denys Popovych was detained in Moscow on 13 January 2025 and placed under administrative arrest on charges of ‘petty hooliganism’. This was immediately followed by a second administrative arrest for ‘failure to comply with police orders’. Nikita Ivankovich , who had been bringing parcels to his friend, was detained on 12 February. The following day, both men were remanded in pre-trial detention.
The clerics were accused of preparing a terrorist attack. According to the prosecution, acting on instructions from ‘Ukrainian handlers’, they planned to detonate a bomb in Metropolitan Tikhon’s living quarters at the Sretensky Monastery. The alleged purpose of the attack was to ‘disrupt peace negotiations between the United States and Russia on resolving the Ukrainian conflict’. They were also charged with storing explosives in a cache that security officers claimed to have discovered in a Moscow park.
In May 2026, it became known that both defendants had been brought new charges in connection with the same alleged conduct. Both were additionally charged with participation in a terrorist community and unlawful access to computer information, while Nikita Ivankovich was also charged with undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity. Taken together, the charges expose the two young clerics to the possibility of life imprisonment.
Both Nikita Ivankovich and Denys Popovych categorically deny any involvement in a plot against Metropolitan Tikhon, whom they describe as their spiritual mentor. Both have stated that they were tortured immediately after their detention and were forced to incriminate themselves.
The case contains numerous signs of blatant fabrication, highlighted by the defence lawyers and examined in detail by independent media outlets and the defendants’ support group. It appears that the additional charges were brought precisely because the original accusation was manifestly unconvincing. Moreover, neither Ivankovich nor Popovych had any discernible motive to wish Tikhon’s death, and the claim that such an attack would have disrupted peace negotiations is implausible.
However, the investigative and judicial authorities cannot admit error. Vladimir Putin himself publicly commented on the alleged assassination plot against Shevkunov, making it likely that, regardless of their actual guilt or innocence, Ivankovych and Popovych are expected to receive exemplary punishment.
A detailed description of the case and our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Nikita Ivankovich and Denys Popovych at the following address:
Ru:
111020, г. Москва, ул. Лефортовский вал, д. 5, ФКУ СИЗО-2 ФСИН России,
Иванкович Никита Сергеевич, 1996 г. р.;
Попович Денис Евзебиевич, 1997 г. р.
En:
Remand Prison No. 2, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, 5 Lefortovsky Val, Moscow, 111020, Russia,
Ivankovych Mykyta Serhiiovych, born 1996
Popovych Denys Yevzebiiovych, born 1997
You can also send emails via the ZT service (for payment with all bank cards), and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
