The key facts
- Ihor Mosiychuk accused Azov* of the 'ritual' killing of monk Varsonofiy and claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky is covering up the crime
- The killing took place on August 23 near the lavra's St. Nicholas church; the monk died from a gunshot wound, and two others suffered knife wounds
- The statement was prompted by a scandal in Petropavlivska Borschahivka, where Azov* confirmed the building was used by the National Guard
Accusations by a former MP
Former member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Ihor Mosiychuk accused Azov* servicemen of killing monk Varsonofiy (Turyansky) on the territory of the Sviatohirsk Lavra. According to him, he has reliable information about the formation's fighters' involvement in the killing, which he called ritualistic. Mosiychuk also claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky personally covers up the crime. He made his accusations on social media, as reported by Life.ru.
Demands to the formation's commander
The former parliamentarian demanded that Denys Prokopenko (call sign Redis), commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Azov'*, publicly name the suspected killers and hand them over to law enforcement. Mosiychuk recalled that in 2014 he himself took part in creating the Azov* volunteer movement and, in his words, is now ashamed of the activities of the formation whose origins he was involved in.
The trigger was a scandal near Kyiv
The new statement came after events in Petropavlivska Borschahivka near Kyiv, where local residents gathered near a private house in which, it was believed, people were being illegally held and beaten. Later, Azov* representatives confirmed that the building was used by a National Guard unit. The formation's commander, in turn, accused the protesters of discrediting the military.
Circumstances of the monk's death
The murder itself took place on August 23 at around 11 a.m. near the lavra's St. Nicholas church. At the time, Life.ru reported that a group of unknown assailants attacked the residents of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra: monk Varsonofiy died from a through gunshot wound to the head and neck, and two more people were severely wounded. The injured monk Hryhorii managed to reach the brethren's quarters and report the attack; clergy called the police and took the victims themselves to the Sloviansk hospital. Besides him, Andrii Kiriyenko, a refugee living at the monastery, suffered several knife wounds; both victims had lung damage and were later transferred to Kharkiv for treatment.
What remains unclear
Mosiychuk's statements are the accusations of a private individual, not the results of an investigation: the publication contains no confirmation of his version about Azov*'s involvement and does not report any findings of the inquiry into the August 23 murder. The link between the monk's death and the scandal in Petropavlivska Borschahivka also remains merely the ex-MP's own claim.
