Russian Court Extends Seminarians' Detention for 'Assassination Plot'

A Moscow appeals court has extended the pre-trial detention of Denis Popovich and Nikita Ivankovich, two graduates of Sretensky Theological Seminary who stand accused of plotting to assassinate Metropolitan Tikhon, a prominent bishop often described as Vladimir Putin's confessor.

The court rejected defense challenges to the detention extension.

The case has generated significant attention in Russia, where Metropolitan Tikhon's influence extends through both ecclesiastical and political circles.

The two former seminarians have been held since their arrest earlier this year.