Russian Intelligence's New Front

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has issued a communiqué framing Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as the primary antagonist in a new geopolitical offensive. Moscow currently characterizes the recognition of church independence in the Baltics not as a matter of canon law, but as a coordinated operation by Western security services. This narrative specifically targets Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as the active front following the autocephaly of the Ukrainian church.

Intelligence reports indicate the Kremlin views ecclesiastical jurisdiction as sovereign territory, treating the loss of parishes as a national security threat equal to NATO expansion. The SVR is attempting to freeze parish alignments by labeling voluntary exits as sabotage orchestrated by British and American handlers. By characterizing administrative changes as "satanic" influence, Moscow creates a pretext to intervene in the internal affairs of EU democracies.

The synchronization between Patriarch Kirill’s rhetoric and SVR press releases reveals a unified instrument of influence where theology serves political control. This strategy aims to fracture Orthodox communities within Europe, distract from battlefield stagnation in Ukraine, and delegitimize the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s authority. The dispute has effectively shifted from a religious schism to a state-level intelligence conflict involving registered foreign agents and diplomatic expulsions.
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