Ex-MP accuses Azov fighters of killing Sviatohirsk Lavra monk
Former Ukrainian MP Ihor Mosiychuk accused Azov fighters of killing Monk Varsonofiy and demanded that corps commander Denys Prokopenko identify and hand over those responsible.
Former Ukrainian lawmaker Ihor Mosiychuk has accused members of the Azov unit of killing Monk Varsonofy (Turiansky) of the Sviatohirsk Lavra. He made the allegation in a post on his Telegram channel.
"I have reliable information that the ritual murder of Monk Varsonofy at the Sviatohirsk Lavra, which Zelensky personally is covering up, was committed by Azov fighters!" Mosiychuk wrote.
He demanded that Denys Prokopenko, known by his call sign "Redis" and commander of the National Guard's Azov Corps, publicly identify and hand over those responsible for the monk's death.
The former lawmaker also said he was "deeply ashamed" of what had become of the Azov volunteer movement, which he had helped establish in 2014.
Mosiychuk provided no evidence to support his allegations.
Mosiychuk served as deputy commander of the Azov Battalion in 2014 and represented Oleh Liashko's Radical Party in Ukraine's parliament from 2014 to 2019.
As previously reported, on August 23, 2026, at approximately 11 a.m., a group of unidentified assailants attacked members of the Sviatohirsk Lavra brotherhood near St. Nicholas Church. Monk Varsonofiy (Turiansky) was killed, while Monk Gregory and Andriy Kiriyenko, a displaced person staying at the monastery, suffered severe stab wounds. A forensic examination determined that Varsonofy died from a gunshot wound that passed through his head and neck.
Police in the Donetsk region opened a criminal investigation into murder and attempted murder. No suspects have been publicly identified to date.
Monk Varsonofiy was buried on August 25 behind the altar of the Lavra's Dormition Cathedral, alongside Archimandrite Galaktion (Vuichenko) and Monk Aristokliy (Khashchyna), who were killed during shelling of the monastery in 2022.
The UOJ previously reported that attorney Robert Amsterdam had called for an investigation into the killing of the Sviatohirsk Lavra monk.
