An Oryol businessman is suspected of kidnapping one of the most revered church elders of our time. On the night of September 4-5, unknown persons arrived at the “Spreader of the Loaves” church and carried Schema-Archimandrite Elijah out of the territory, put him in a car and drove away.
Local businessman Gennady Tsurkov is under suspicion. According to Mash, the main version is a ransom, but a personal conflict is also being considered. On September 7, in the city of Bolkhov, Oryol region, Tsurkov was detained by security forces. He was taken to Moscow and arrested.
Schema-Archimandrite Ilia (Nozdrin) is the confessor of Optina Pustyn and an honorary resident of the Oryol region. Tsurkov was his assistant, and together they opened a foundation that raised funds for the construction of the spiritual center of Vyatsky Posad.
❗️Subscribe to Mash
