A fellow cleric and a refugee were seriously wounded in an attack at the St. Nicolas church of the Svyatogorsk Lavra monastery in the Ukrainian-controlled northern part of Donetsk People’s Republic, near the frontline with Russia.
The deadly assault by unidentified perpetrators occurred on Sunday morning at a 17th-century church complex operated by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The monastery identified the slain monk as Barsanuphius. Two survivors, junior monk Gregory and refugee Andrey Kirienko, sustained punctured lungs and severe blood loss.
Gregory managed to reach the monks’ dormitory after the attack and alerted others. Both victims were rushed to a hospital with critical injuries. Ukrainian police have not commented on the criminal investigation into the incident. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ukrainian troops may have been responsible for the assault.
The government of President Vladimir Zelensky has labeled the UOC, which maintains historical ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, a national security threat. Authorities have charged several senior clergy members with subversive activities and raided major cathedrals and monasteries in search of evidence of alleged anti-Ukrainian conduct.
The Svyatogorsk monastery traces its history back to at least the 16th century as documented by a German diplomat. It may have been founded as early as the ninth century by refugees from Byzantium. The monastery was shut down twice—first in 1787 and later by Bolshevik forces—and was reinstated in 2000.
The attack coincided with a Ukrainian drone strike on the Epiphany Cathedral in Gorlovka, Russian-controlled territory, which injured local bishop Metropolitan Mitrofan and three others during Sunday services.
