Former MP: Authorities’ silence over Sviatohirsk Lavra murder is shocking

Farewell to slain monk Varsonofiy. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

Former Ukrainian MP Ihor Mosiychuk said the heads of Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies had remained silent for two days over the murder of a monk at the Sviatohirsk Lavra, calling it an appalling crime. He made the remarks in an interview with journalist Oleksandr Shelest.

“Two days have passed – not a word from the interior minister, the acting head of the SBU, or the acting head of the National Police. Not a single word. An appalling crime,” the former MP said indignantly.

Mosiychuk pointed out that the attack took place in a frontline area under military restrictions, just a few kilometers from the front line, where, as he put it, “outsiders don’t go.”

The authorities’ silence, the former MP believes, sends a signal of impunity to military personnel: “God is not mocked – there will be consequences for this one way or another. And second, it sends a signal to the military that nobody cares – you can do whatever you want.”

As reported earlier, the attack on the brethren of the Sviatohirsk Lavra took place on August 23, 2026, near St. Nicholas Church in the upper part of the monastery. Monk Varsonofiy (secular name Vasiliy Turyansky) was killed, while Monk Grigory and novice Andriy were hospitalized in serious condition in Kharkiv. The attackers remain unidentified; the criminal investigation is ongoing, and no suspects had been identified at the time of publication.

The funeral service for the slain monk was held on August 25 at the Lavra’s Dormition Cathedral. He was buried behind the altar, next to two members of the monastic community who were killed in shelling in 2022.

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