Photo: Press Service of the FIS of Ukraine
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is openly moving to support far-right nationalist organisations and anti-immigrant policies, actively synchronising its actions with Kremlin propaganda. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (FISU).
At a meeting of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, it was stated that it is necessary to control migration processes in Russia and prevent the formation of closed ethnic communities. The ROC called the integration of migrants “a task of national importance” to maintain stability in Russia.
The Russian Orthodox Church is a new ally of the Russian far right
In addition, the church leadership has officially supported the activities of the far-right organisation Russian Community. This group has long played the role of an instrument of Kremlin influence inside the country, organising anti-migrant raids, cooperating with law enforcement agencies and participating in the suppression of opposition movements.
“The Russian Community positions itself as a network of “mutual assistance for Russian people”, but in fact acts in the interests of the Russian authorities, promoting a nationalist agenda and supporting the war against Ukraine.
Church and state are a single repressive mechanism
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine notes that the congress of Russian Orthodox Church officials was another demonstration of the synchronisation of the positions of the church and the Kremlin on domestic and foreign policy.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric and support for nationalist structures are part of the Russian Orthodox Church’s new tactics to strengthen its influence on Russian society, create an atmosphere of fear and hostility towards “outsiders”, and suppress any manifestations of dissent.
The FISU emphasises that this is the next stage in the transformation of the ROC into a component of the Russian state repressive machine, which works in the interests of the Kremlin’s military policy and internal terror.
