Russian court again extends pretrial detention of ex-seminarians accused of plotting to kill ‘Putin’s confessor,’ Metropolitan Tikhon

A Moscow appeals court has rejected defense lawyers’ challenges to another extension of pretrial detention for Sretensky Theological Seminary graduates Denis Popovich and Nikita Ivankovich. The two men are accused of plotting to assassinate Metropolitan Tikhon (born Georgiy Shevkunov), who is often described as Vladimir Putin’s confessor.