The collapse of the “Moscow priest and boy in bed” story

Koshkina and Dumenko. Photo: Koshkina’s Facebook

Many will remember the media frenzy around the salacious claim that “the SBU caught a Moscow priest in bed with a boy.” Comedy shows like Kvartal 95, Dizel Show, and others delighted in mocking not only the individual cleric, but the entire Church.

It all stemmed from the SBU’s raid on the Chernivtsi Eparchy headquarters in late 2022. During the search, two photos taken by the SBU somehow made their way to the press: one of Archimandrite Nikita (now a bishop) in his monastic cell, and another of a choir member who had spent the night in the guest room ahead of the liturgy.

These photos were published by Left Bank editor-in-chief Sonia Koshkina, along with revolting insinuations – suggesting that the monk and the young man had been caught in the same room, in the same bed.

Now, the court has ruled: Koshkina lied. Her publications were false. She was ordered to issue a retraction and pay damages to the bishop – which she has done, on both her Telegram channel and Left Bank’s website.

But how much does that really change?

Most cultures have their own version of a parable about slander. It goes something like this:

A man in a town spread false rumors about a local sage. When the sage heard of it, he summoned the man. Realizing his guilt, the man repented and begged for forgiveness, promising to do whatever it took to make things right.

The sage said, “Take a quill and a sheet of paper. Write down everything you’ve said about me.” The man did so. Then the sage told him, “Now go to the town square, tear the paper into tiny pieces, and scatter them to the wind.”

The man obeyed. He returned and told the sage he had done as instructed.

“Good,” said the sage. “Now go and collect every last piece.”

Koshkina’s retraction is like trying to gather those scraps from the wind. For many Ukrainians, the damage is done. In their minds, the monks of the Church remain branded as perverts, degenerates, and villains.

But there is another layer to this story. This wasn’t just a rogue act of slander. The campaign to discredit the UOC is massive – and tightly coordinated by the SBU, media outlets, and the OCU itself. Koshkina is a textbook example of the kind of operative who bridges all three spheres.

There have been numerous instances in which photos from SBU searches – taken at the homes of UOC bishops and priests – end up first in Koshkina’s hands, and only after that appear, with blurred faces, in official SBU press releases. This is exactly what happened with Archimandrite Nikita in 2022. It happened again recently with Archimandrite Feognost (Yurash).

And let’s not ignore the obvious: Koshkina is one of the OCU’s chief propagandists – a close confidante of Dumenko himself. The fact that she relies on such vile and underhanded tactics doesn’t seem to bother the head of the OCU one bit.

It’s clear: these people are kindred spirits.

Read also