Tihon Shevkunov Abbot of the Sretensky Monastery, confessor of the Putin family. Country: Russia

1. Biography of Tikhon Shevkunov
2. The Controversial Figure
3. Ties to the KGB and Political Involvement
4. Unconventional Projects
5. The Alleged Connection to Putin

Biography of Tikhon Shevkunov

Tikhon Shevkunov, also known as Georgiy Aleksandrovich Shevkunov, was born in 1958. He is the abbot of the Sretensky Monastery and the spiritual adviser to the Putin family. After graduating from the screenwriting department of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, Shevkunov joined the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, where he spent nine years as a novice before taking monastic vows. He returned to Moscow and worked in the publishing department of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Controversial Figure

Ten years ago, Shevkunov gained attention as one of the ideologists of the fundamentalist movement within the Russian Orthodox Church. In his article "The Church and the State," he openly expressed his views on democracy, stating that a democratic state would inevitably seek to weaken the most influential Church in the country. This statement is significant because Russian media refer to Shevkunov as Putin's spiritual adviser, suggesting that he influences the worldview of the country's leader. In non-ecclesiastical circles, Shevkunov is often discussed as a notorious intriguer and careerist. He made his first step in his illustrious ecclesiastical career shortly after returning to Moscow from the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery in 1991. He initiated a scandal surrounding a fire in the Donskoy Monastery where he resided. While the investigation attributed the fire to a drunken monk who fell asleep with a lit cigarette, Shevkunov accused Western intelligence agents disguised as Russian Orthodox Church believers of "malicious arson."

Ties to the KGB and Political Involvement

There are reports of Shevkunov's connections with the KGB, which may have facilitated his closer acquaintance with Vladimir Putin. One of the parishioners of the Sretensky Monastery and a close friend of Shevkunov, Lieutenant General Nikolai Leonov, served in the KGB from 1958 to 1991. He worked in the First Main Directorate (PGU) of the KGB USSR and held the position of deputy chief. (Putin also served in the PGU in the 1970s.) Shevkunov and Leonov are both part of the editorial board of the journal "Russian House," which is published by the Sretensky Monastery Publishing House. Leonov is a political commentator on a TV show aired on the "Moskva" channel, while Shevkunov also serves as the spiritual adviser for both the journal and the TV show. The "Russian House" frequently hosts representatives of extreme right-wing organizations such as the "Russian National Unity" and the "Black Hundred."

Unconventional Projects

Shevkunov is known for his involvement in various unconventional projects. He was one of the activists advocating for the canonization of the Russian royal family. He led a "crusade" against the performances of illusionist David Copperfield in Russia, claiming that his "vulgar American Voland's magic tricks" subjected the audience to the "most dark and destructive forces." His most famous project is his fight against "satanic" barcodes and taxpayer identification numbers (INN). Shevkunov believes that these contain the "number of the beast" - 666. Additionally, he argues that the universal accounting system subjects Orthodox believers to total control by the secular, anti-Orthodox state. His article on the "Schengen Zone" addressing this "global problem" was published in the newspaper of the "Russian National Order" (RNE). Despite Shevkunov's denial of his ties to Russian nationalists, their views align closely with his own.

The Alleged Connection to Putin

The details of Shevkunov's introduction to Putin remain unknown, but his close relationship with the President is widely publicized. In ecclesiastical circles, it is speculated that Shevkunov himself initiated rumors of being Putin's spiritual adviser. While the screenwriter-turned-cleric neither confirms nor denies these rumors, he playfully remarks, "Are you trying to turn me into some sort of Richelieu?" Nevertheless, journalists from Moscow publications confidently reported that "Vladimir Putin regularly confesses to him, and he guides the President in his spiritual life." Regardless of the truth behind this alleged closeness to the President, Shevkunov, the accomplished screenwriter, actively exploits it. It is said that even the Patriarch himself now fears him.