A public figure whose statements are controversial, the author of many books, articles, presenter and guest of television shows - all this can be said about Archpriest Andrei Tkachev. His biography and family photos are of interest to many, not only believers. True, the clergyman does not like to make his personal life public. But the priest is always ready for an open dialogue with both his supporters and ill-wishers.
School years and military service
Andrei was born during the Soviet Union, in the capital of the Ukrainian SSR, Lvov, on December 30, 1969. His parents sent their son to study in a Russian school. He was baptized in early childhood, but he made a conscious choice in favor of his faith in adolescence. According to Fr. Andrew, he acutely felt the “melancholy and nonsense” of the world around him, in which God is absent. The priest calls himself “self-taught,” but this is not entirely true. He has more than one educational institution behind him:
- Moscow Suvorov Military School - at the age of 15 (1984), at the insistence of his parents, he became a cadet.
- Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense - Faculty of Special Propaganda, specialization became the Persian language. The training was not completed, since the young man did not show any interest in him.
Service in the ranks of the Soviet army followed. In his free time, Andrei Yuryevich studied the Bhagavad Gita (a sacred book in Hinduism, written in Sanskrit, translated as “Divine Song”). After demobilization, he returned to Lviv, where he first worked as a loader in a store.
Working on television
Here, Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, whose biography was supplemented with another remarkable fact, received an excellent opportunity in television programs to speak briefly, but at the same time succinctly, on a variety of topics that concern modern people.
This goal was served by a television project called “To Sleep for the Future,” which was hosted by Father Andrei. Before going to bed, TV viewers had an excellent opportunity to discover something new for themselves in a ten-minute conversation with the priest, and hear answers to their questions.
The program found its viewers. Appreciative reviews poured in. These sincere evening conversations with the priest about the events of the past day, about the questions that life itself poses to a person, opened the doors to the audience into a completely different world. Andrei Tkachev could tell in a laconic form about the lives of saints, about prayer and interpretation of the sacred lines of the Gospel. So much was invested in these ten minutes that it is impossible to imagine. Moreover, the conversations “Bedtime” were not of any moralizing or edifying nature, but at the same time attracted the audience with their thoughtfulness and obvious soul-helping effect.
Later, another project called “Garden of Divine Songs” appears on the Ukrainian TV channel “Kievan Rus”. Here, in a spiritual and educational form, Andrei Tkachev introduces viewers to the depths of knowledge about the Psalter. When reading the psalms, the priest not only tries to explain what is being said in them, but also penetrates into the very depths of the content, connecting them with the events of the time when they were created.
Beginning of a church career
One of his friends brought Andrei to church to listen to music and pray. So the young man began to read the Gospel and study other Christian literature. He went to work as a watchman at the temple, was a sexton (he rang the bell). On the advice of a confessor (a priest who takes confession), he studied at the Kyiv Theological Seminary as an external student (from 1992 to 1994).
During his studies, he met the future archimandrites Longin (Chernukha) and Kirill (Govorun). Then he entered the Theological Academy, but did not come to lectures, for which he was expelled. Later, the priest said that he simply did not have time for classes, because he led a very active life.
Ordination to the rank of deacon took place in Kyiv, and a little later in the same 1993 he accepted priestly ordination (became a priest - a clergyman with the right to perform sacraments and rituals). He began the service in the Church of St. George the Victorious (Lviv). From the very beginning of his spiritual path, Father Andrei Tkachev worked with young people - he taught the Law of God in one of the schools, and gave lectures at the Lviv Theological Academy.
In 2005, he moved to the Ukrainian capital - he had to regularly participate in the filming of television programs on the Kievan Rus TV channel. At that moment, the clergyman had only an absentee letter from the Lviv diocese; he had no permanent place of work. He served wherever necessary, in several different churches.
Then, at the request of the parishioners, the rector of the Church of Agapit of Pechersk took Fr. Andrei to the clergy, where he continued to serve from 2006 to 2014. His career took off - in 2013, the priest began to head the missionary department of the Kyiv diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
Family of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev
Andrey Yuryevich is married and has four children. He entered into an official marriage even before entering the Kyiv Seminary, in 1992. The names of his wife and children, or their exact place of residence, are not publicly available. The archpriest carefully protects them from the attention of the press and ill-wishers, especially after his performances in Ukraine and his move to the Russian Federation.
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev always avoids the topic of family, personal life, and children in his conversations with journalists, and sometimes even harshly suppresses them. How can he do this? And this is not a whim at all, but only an attempt to protect loved ones from outside harm. Fans and those who do not accept his position, do not understand him, must respect Andrei Yuryevich’s right to a closed private life.
Moving to Russia
The clergyman is known for his controversial statements not only on religious topics. Father has his own clear civic position, which he did not hesitate to express during the crisis of Russian-Ukrainian relations in 2014. There was a conflict between the Moscow and Kyiv patriarchates. As a result, the archpriest decided to move to Moscow because he feared persecution.
The new church that temporarily sheltered the priest is the house church of Moscow State University (in the name of the martyr Tatiana). In August, the spiritual father was made a supernumerary cleric of the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Assumption Vrazhek. The main place of service for the new cleric was the St. Basil the Great Gymnasium near Moscow, where he headed one of the departments. He attended services only in his free time from obedience.
From conversations with the priest, his attitude towards the UOC, which he called an “ambiguous organization,” became clear. According to Andrei Yurievich, too many “two-faced goats” have gathered there, and he called the Ukrainian state itself “a barracks of violently insane people.” In Russia, in his opinion, there are many more spiritual shepherds. In Ukraine, “people have gone crazy,” because in fact their faith is only for show and they have lost contact with the Lord.
Now the archpriest is a full-time cleric of the Church of St. Basil the Great of the Patriarchal Metochion in the village of Zaitsevo (Moscow region, Odintsovo district). He was released from his previous obedience in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word in October 2022.
He often delivers sermons in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin at patriarchal services. It is part of the Inter-Council Presence (until 2022) - a church organization that assists the Russian Orthodox Church in preparing important decisions regarding internal life and public activities.
In Russia, the priest enjoys the favor of high-ranking clergy, in particular, Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev). The patriarch himself stated this in a recent speech at a meeting with young people; the video is available in the public domain. The Patriarch stated that he immediately understood that Fr. Andrei can make a great contribution to the moral education of young people and “accepted it with love.”
Tkachev Andrey Yurievich
Childhood and youth
Tkachev Andrey Yuryevich - clergyman, preacher, mitred archpriest, writer, TV presenter - was born on December 30, 1969. His small homeland is the city of Lvov in the Ukrainian SSR.
He was baptized by his parents as a child. Father and mother wanted to see their son in the military, so at the age of 15 they sent him to the Moscow Suvorov Military School. After graduating, the young man entered the faculty of special propaganda at the Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense (specialization in Persian language). However, military service did not find a response in the soul of the young man, and he withdrew his documents from the university without graduating. Already from adolescence, Andrei Tkachev acutely felt the melancholy and meaninglessness of his life. He sought to fill the void in his heart, so during his military service he became fascinated by ancient Indian religious philosophy. Tkachev became acquainted with the Bhagavad Gita, one of the fundamental texts of Hindu philosophy.
Beginning of sacred service
Having been demobilized, he returned to his native Lviv. At first he worked as a loader in a store, then he worked as a security guard and sexton in an Orthodox church. At this time, the young man was friends with one of the hippies. His older friend often visited Orthodox monasteries and read the Gospel. Under his influence, Tkachev became more deeply interested in the Christian faith. In 1992 he entered the Kyiv Theological Seminary.
In May 1993, he was ordained a deacon himself, and in November - to the rank of priest. In 1994, Father Andrey graduated from the seminary as an external student and became a student at the Kyiv Theological Academy. But due to his active social activities, he did not have enough time to attend classes. Therefore, the young priest was soon expelled, but the young man continued his independent studies, calling himself “self-taught.” Then for 12 years (1993 – 2005) he served in the Lviv Church of St. George the Victorious.
Simultaneously with his church activities, the clergyman taught at a secondary school. In the program, his subject was called “Ethics,” but in reality the holy father introduced his students to a religious discipline called “The Law of God.” Seeing the zeal of the priest, he was invited to the Lviv Theological Academy to give a course of lectures to students on the discipline “Fundamentals of Christian Eastern Spirituality.”
Ministry in Kyiv
In 2005, Father Andrey was offered to work as a TV presenter of religious programs on the Ukrainian channel KRT. Therefore, he received an absentee letter from the Lvov diocese and moved to Kyiv with his wife and children. Hosted the programs “For the Sleepy Ones” and “The Garden of Divine Songs.” But the clergyman did not have documents about transfer to a specific parish in the capital, so he served in several churches at the invitation of his friends. Later he was accepted into the staff of the Temple of Agapit of Pechersk.
The active, witty clergyman fell in love with the parishioners. Seeing his success, the rector of the parish, Father Alexander, who had health problems, appointed Tkachev as his successor. In 2006, Father Andrei replaced his predecessor and until 2014. served as rector of the Church of Agapit of Pechersk. Since 2007, he has been the rector of the Church of St. Luke of Crimea. At the same time, in 2013, Andrei Tkachev headed the missionary department of the Kiev diocese.
The clergyman worked as a TV presenter on the Orthodox Ukrainian channel “Kievan Rus”. He was a regular author and member of the editorial board of the Ukrainian magazine Otrok.ua. Father Andrey was active in social and educational activities, but gradually his relationship with the Ukrainian church leadership began to deteriorate. He later stated that during a year of living in Russia he met more “grace-filled priests” than during his entire service in Ukraine.
Service in the Russian Orthodox Church
In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea to the territory of the Russian Federation, relations between Russia and Ukraine sharply deteriorated. Due to a number of loud statements, the clergyman had to leave his homeland and move to Moscow. By temporary decree, he was appointed cleric of the house church of the martyr Tatiana (at the Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov), located in the center of the Russian capital not far from the Kremlin.
After 2 months, Archpriest Andrei Tkachev was sent to the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Assumption Vrazhek, located not far from his former place of service. The rector of the parish, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, introducing the new priest to the parishioners, noted that Father Andrei would serve freelance, and his main place of obedience would be the St. Basil the Great Gymnasium in the Moscow region. In it, the clergyman headed the teaching direction.
In 2022, the archpriest was released from obedience to the freelance clergy of the Church of the Resurrection of the Slovushchego and appointed to the staff of the Church of St. Basil the Great, located in the village of Zaitsevo (Moscow region, Odintsovo district). Father Andrei is active in public activities and is the confessor of the youth department of the Moscow city diocese. He preached in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and at patriarchal services in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
From 2014 to 2022 Tkachev was a member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church (an advisory body of the Moscow Patriarchate). In 2022, the archpriest joined the Commission for Church Education and Diacony for a period until 2022. The activities of Father Andrei were highly appreciated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. In 2022, the bishop noted that he was happy to receive Andrei Tkachev in Moscow, who is capable of making a large-scale contribution to strengthening the Orthodox faith of Russians.
Social and religious activities
Tkachev wrote many stories and articles that help people find answers to questions about the meaning of life and Christianity, faith and God, love and family, children and parents, sins and virtues, fasting and repentance, and the difficulties of worldly and church life. Without embarrassment, the archpriest sometimes addresses sensitive and taboo topics. He has more than 25 books to his credit: “Burden of Passions. The secret life of our souls", "The first miracle. Conversations about family and marriage”, “Thoughts on repentance”, “Preparation for death”, etc.
On the Orthodox TV channel “Spas”, Father Andrei hosts the program “Meeting”, communicating with young people. The broadcast raises such topics as prohibitions and commands, family and loneliness, the apocalypse and the power of prayer, atheism and the responsibilities of Christians, the temptations of the modern world and other issues that concern people. The archpriest is the host of the “Holy Truth” program on the Tsargrad TV channel, in the episodes of which he speaks about psalms, the meaning of holidays, abortion, death, wisdom, etc.
Father Andrei is one of the most famous and media-active Orthodox Russian priests. He has an official website “Collected sermons of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev” and groups on social networks in which his socio-religious views are promoted. Tkachev is often a guest on various television programs, speaks to listeners at joint meetings and conversations, and answers questions. Videos and texts of his speeches constantly appear on the Internet.
But not all of Father Andrei’s statements are supported by other priests. Some of Tkachev’s judgments are his personal opinion, and not the official position of the Church. In particular, harsh and offensive statements against women who did not preserve their virginity before marriage (he called them “shameless bastards” who need a “fist under the jaw”) and a call for the use of assault by husbands in order to educate disobedient wives received a public response.
Father Andrei gained fame as an expressive wit who is capable of making funny jokes during his speeches and is not shy in his expressions when discussing sensitive topics. It evokes sharp criticism from some people, and loyal support from others. The archpriest has many followers and an audience of thousands of subscribers. The social and religious figure does not talk about his personal life. It is known that he is married and the father of four children.
Successful author
Andrey Yuryevich not only manages to perform and host TV shows. He writes quite a lot of books. They can be purchased not only in church shops, but also through online stores. New products are released very quickly in electronic format, which cost an order of magnitude cheaper than paper ones. New items for 2022 have different themes:
- “Living word. The Bible is about our joys and troubles." The author believes that a great book is not a collection of dusty moral laws, but a word addressed to every modern person living on the planet.
- “The age of maturity. The time of the wise, happy and a little saintly.” The archpriest explains that old age can be met in such a way that it will become a blessing not only for the believer himself, but also for his loved ones. Answers the question of how not to be afraid of old age, not to be lonely, but to live in harmony with others and yourself.
- "Love. Those who seek and find." Father, being an experienced confessor, answered in this publication the most frequent perplexities that arise among his spiritual children. The topic will be close to both those who have recently been married and those who have already had enough of family happiness.
For his creativity Fr. Andrey was awarded the Runet Book Prize in 2013, and became a nominee for the Patriarchal Literary Prize in 2014 and 2016.
Missionary activities
This period was very eventful both for Ukraine as a whole and for Andrei Tkachev, who, in a difficult era of change, begins his pastoral service, implementing it not only in the church, but also in the world. He conducts active missionary work, supported by his own literary works. Father Andrei's sermons become widely known far beyond the borders of his hometown. The man himself notes in his interviews that he did not choose to become a missionary. The latter “chose” him herself.
The active position of the Orthodox priest, who is not afraid to call a spade a spade and does not flirt with the public, has opened up new opportunities for him. The first of them was an invitation to work on one of the Kyiv television channels.
Media activities
Many are interested in the priest’s personal life, which is not surprising, because he is not only the author of books, but also a bright personality with many subscribers on social networks. It is known for sure that he got married in 1992, even before entering the Kyiv Seminary. All that journalists managed to find out about his family life is that he has a wife and four children.
It is impossible to find a photo of the family on the Internet. Apparently, the priest considers such interest idle and does not encourage it. He raises his children so that they are less dependent on modern vanity. According to the clergyman, back in the 90s the family completely gave up watching television.
The TV program “Meeting” with Andrei Tkachev is currently airing on the “Spas” channel. Recordings can be found on the official website of the channel, on various topics:
- “Politics” (03/09/19) - how Orthodox Christians should treat government officials.
- “The Last Judgment” (03/02/19) - how believers should prepare for this event, whether they should be afraid of death.
- “The Prodigal Son” (02/23/19) - is repentance always possible for a person, how to build a relationship with God.
These are just new topics, but there is also an archive of 2022 issues. In addition to the video, there is a text version. Viewers who come to the program ask questions on air, and the priest answers. The duration of the transfer is about an hour.
The priest is also present on the social network VKontakte. True, the page is not run by him himself, but by trusted representatives from the editorial office of his official website. The group posts videos, of which there are about 300, and more than 500 audio recordings (these are all sermons). In discussions, you can suggest a topic for new speeches, ask for prayer support.
On the portal “Orthodoxy and the World” there is a separate tag “Archpriest Andrei Tkachev”, where you can find a lot of materials related to the priest in one way or another. These are his articles and comments from third parties on particularly sensational statements.
To listen or read something new from the priest, you need to type in a search engine: “Andrey Tkachev (archpriest), latest sermons for 2022.” They can be found in large quantities, for example, on the official YouTube channel. Many contain answers to questions that constantly come from believers.
Sermons by Archpriest Andrei Tkachev
Andrei Yuryevich is one of the few clergy who strive to convey the Law of God to listeners in simple and understandable language. He is sure that the scripture is too embellished and exaggerated in the verbal sense, which sometimes makes it difficult to understand.
Andrei Tkachev's conversations are held in accordance with the rules developed by him - to speak clearly and clearly, to be able to keep the audience interested in him. And he developed these rules on the basis of scientific fields - oratory, homiletics and others.
The Law of God and Holy Scripture from the lips of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev sometimes sound unusual and even somewhat wild, but after listening, you can understand that this is exactly the meaning they carry. A striking example is “it’s difficult for a beautiful woman to remain good when there are so many temptations around her.” But this statement of his does not at all mean that he defends or justifies sin. To understand the essence of Tkachev’s sermons and conversations, it is necessary to listen to them from beginning to end, delving into and not missing a single word of the archpriest.
Criticism of statements
Some of the archpriest’s sayings often become the object of comments both from the public and from ordinary parishioners of Orthodox churches. The famous Orthodox publicist Deacon Andrei Kuraev has repeatedly spoken disapprovingly of the priest. Priest Georgy Maximov criticized the doctrine of salvation that the priest adheres to. The most scandalous statements are widely known:
- In 2006, he was criticized by journalists for his aggressiveness towards the West. The priest replied that he would try in the future “to be more restrained.”
- In January 2014, during the riots in Kyiv, Tkachev said in a sermon to parishioners that he did not pray for the rebels, did not feel sorry for them and wanted “for them to devour each other.” Indignant letters and calls from believers and clergy poured in. The priest, summoned to the Patriarchate to give explanations, said that he was expressing personal, not evangelical thoughts.
- In the program “Holy Truth”, aired on the Tsargrad TV channel, an opinion about evolution was voiced, which many considered incompetent. Priest Alexander Pikalev later said that Fr. Andrey made a number of mistakes that show his poor knowledge in this area of knowledge.
- Another topic for the scandal was a statement in which a clergyman called on a woman to be “broken over the knee” so that she would not take power over a man in the house. In a video recording of another speech, he called girls who did not maintain their honor before marriage “shameless bastards”, “mad dogs” and offered to hit them “in the jaw”. The video was subsequently removed from the network.
Later, the priest gave an explanation regarding his remarks about his attitude towards women. According to him, the conversations took place in a narrow circle of parishioners well known to him, with whom he prefers to communicate openly. One of his spiritual children made an audio recording without blessing and posted it online. The words were taken out of context because they were intended for a specific person in his specific situation.
Criticism of Andrei Tkachev
Many consider Archpriest Tkachev to be incompetent, rude and aggressive towards the audience and his opponents. Is it so? Doesn't Andrei Yuryevich overstep the boundaries of sanity and tolerance in his sermons?
Tkachev’s words addressed to the “rebels” in Kyiv, on whose heads he asked God for “diseases, fears” and other misfortunes, were severely criticized.
Literary masters were horrified by the fact that once on TV he called one eminent poet a “primitive cormorant” and another “even stranger.” But in this case, freedom of speech and attitude towards this or that work of art hangs in the balance.
Writer and journalist
This is another role that Andrei Tkachev (archpriest) has. The books reveal another side of his service to God, because in them he tries to reach his contemporary. The author, calling himself a journalist, writes about the topical and topical, about what is on everyone’s lips, but at the same time he tries to ensure that every story and short story contains at least a drop of eternity. It is this quality that allows the work to survive. Andrei Tkachev, as he himself says, wants to write today about today, but in such a way that it will be interesting even in a hundred years.
“Return to Paradise”, “Letter to God”, “We are eternal! Even if we don’t want it” - all these names are a clear confirmation of what their author, Andrei Tkachev (archpriest), wants to say. These books are the fruit of the author’s thoughts, embodied in stories. They are, as a rule, small, but very colorfully and succinctly convey events and individual episodes from the life of both holy ascetics and ordinary Orthodox Christians - our contemporaries who came to faith and live according to the commandments of Christ.
Many books are written in the form of a dialogue with a priest and are based on answers to questions posed. There are a great variety of the latter, the topics are very different: about complexes, the birth of children, about art, attitudes towards sports, about gender relations, etc. In addition to such everyday topics, there are also deeper ones: about life and death, God and questions to him, old age and passions, etc.
The author, an Orthodox priest living in the world, knows human passions and problems, troubles and misfortunes. But at the same time, he is familiar with them much more deeply than ordinary lay people, and therefore knows the answers to many seemingly incomprehensible questions.
In addition to books, Archpriest Andrei Tkachev also takes part in the work of Orthodox websites and magazines. His articles and interviews can often be found on the portals Pravoslavie.ru, Pravmir.ru. The priest takes his part in the education of young people with the help of Orthodox magazines. One of these widely known projects is Otrok.ua. Father Andrey has been working here for many years as a member of the editorial board and a regular author.
