Monk Killed and Two Injured in Knife Attack at Sviatohirsk Monastery
On 23 August 2026, unidentified individuals killed a monk and seriously wounded another monk and a novice in a knife attack near St. Nicholas Church at the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Monastery in the Donetsk region. The attack targeted members of a Christian monastic community and resulted in one death and two serious injuries. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) subsequently reported the killing, while police opened a criminal investigation.
The attack occurred near St. Nicholas Church at the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the Donetsk region, where unidentified individuals armed with knives attacked members of the monastery. According to reports from the monastery, Monk Barsanuphius was fatally wounded, while Monk Gregory and novice Andrii Kyriienko sustained serious injuries.
According to the report, the assailants stabbed Monk Barsanuphius to death and "disfigured his face beyond recognition." The two surviving victims were hospitalised in Kharkiv in serious condition. Gregory reportedly suffered approximately four stab wounds, including an injury to his lung, while Kyriienko also sustained a lung injury.
The attackers have not been identified, and police opened a criminal investigation into the attack. The incident was subsequently reported by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which publicly commented on the killing of the monk. No motive for the attack had been established at the time of reporting.
The attack comes amid an ongoing political and legal struggle surrounding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has faced measures by the Ukrainian government that could ultimately lead to its prohibition or dissolution over alleged continued ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. The UOC maintains that it declared its full independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2022. UN human rights experts have expressed serious concern over the government’s actions against the UOC, warning that they restrict freedom of worship and religious practice.
Sources: kyiv24.com, lenta.ru, kommersant, rbc.ru
Image: kyiv24