Russia ‘using nuns as spies to spread propaganda'
Estonian officials say the Pühtitsa Convent in eastern Estonia, which claims it has renounced all worldly affairs, is promoting a pro-Putin narrative that claims religious freedoms are under threat in the West.
Nuns at the Russian Orthodox convent are in an ongoing dispute with the Estonian government over a new law that requires them to sever ties with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the church's spiritual leader and an ardent supporter of the war on Ukraine.
The convent has refused to disown the Moscow Patriarchate, citing canonical rules, and has accused Tallinn of trying to force it to abandon a neutral stance on geopolitical issues.
But Estonia's interior ministry has denied that the convent is neutral and says it is part of a subtle 'Russian information warfare' campaign which depicts the West as bullying innocent Russian Orthodox nuns. The ministry also denied that it is trying to close down the convent via the new law, as the nuns have suggested.
'The convent should be seen not simply as a religious institution, but also as a symbol of the Russki Mir ideology on Estonian soil – an ideology promoted by the Russian state and the Moscow Patriarchate that blends religion, nationalism, and imperial nostalgia,' Martin Tulit, a senior Estonian government official, told The Telegraph.
Referring to Filareta Kalatšova, the abbess of Pühtitsa, he added: 'Patriarch Kirill of Moscow appointed the current abbess in 2011. She has expressed narratives portraying Estonia's history through a lens that closely aligns with the official Russian position.'
The religious row has created a dilemma for Estonia, which views Russia as an existential threat and is among the EU's strongest backers of Ukraine – but also hosts a Russian-speaking minority of around 300,000 people.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has sought to present Kyiv and its European allies as autocratic regimes that bully Russian-speaking minorities.
The tactic is part of a wider hybrid warfare campaign in the West, in which Russia uses acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks and assassination attempts to punish Nato allies for their military support of Kyiv.
Claims that Russian minorities need to be protected by Moscow were also a key pillar of Putin's pretext to invade Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 – and Western officials fear the same tactic could be used in the Baltic to justify future aggression.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Abbess Filareta Kalatšova strongly denied her convent had any links to pro-Moscow activism, and insisted that her nuns wished only to lead a life of quiet reflection and prayer.
'Our life in the convent is very simple, it consists of praying and working,' said the abbess. 'We came to the convent to leave the secular world behind, to get away from these problems and dedicate our time to serving the Lord.'
When asked about the Moscow Patriarchate's support for the war – such as the blessing of weapons before they were launched on Ukrainian cities – the abbess said her convent should not be held responsible for Patriarch Kirill's statements.
She stressed her strong opposition to wars in general but declined to express a view on whether the Russian invasion of Ukraine was justified.
'Any war is a tragedy, it's a lot of death, it's a very strong pain for us. During war not only people who carry weapons die, but many ordinary people die as well, children, women, elderly people. Bullets and grenades don't distinguish between what they have in front of them – a baby or a soldier,' she said. 'All people with common sense understand that war is a great tragedy.
'The only thing we are asking is to be left to live our monastic life. If we as nuns allow ourselves to plunge into the secular atmosphere, we cease to be nuns,' she added, speaking through a Russian interpreter.
Asked why the convent could not join another Orthodox church, such as Constantinople, she said this would be a violation of canonical rules. 'The main requirement of this law is breaking canonical ties with the Russian Orthodox Church,' she said, adding that this would amount to the 'sin of schism'.
The Estonian law at the centre of the dispute will ban churches from having links to any group which 'incites, supports, or funds activities aimed at violently altering the independence, territorial integrity, or constitutional order of the Republic of Estonia'.
The Moscow Patriarchate is considered as one such group due its outspoken support for the invasion of Ukraine.
The law was initially vetoed by Alar Karis, the president of Estonia, for being too broad in scope. But an amended version of the law was resubmitted to parliament this week and passed by 68 votes in favour and 17 against.
The new law is similar to efforts in Ukraine aimed at curbing the influence of the Russian Orthodox church, amid fears that it is being used to spread pro-Russian influence within the country and aid in espionage efforts.
The abbess suggested that the convent had no intention of complying with the new law. 'If we have to choose, if we voluntarily break our ties [with the Moscow Patriarchate] or stay with Christ, I can tell you that we will choose the latter and stay with Christ,' she said.
'We will not violate any rules for monastic vows; this is something we would never do.'
Estonia's government strongly denies that their law violates religious freedoms and dismissed fears by the convent that it may have to close if it insists on maintaining links with the pro-Putin Moscow Patriarchate.
'This claim, as well as the assertion that the convent is being forced by the state to switch affiliation from Moscow to Constantinople, reflects a narrative aligned with Russian information warfare,' said Mr Tulit, the Estonian interior ministry official.
'The amendments would mean the convent can no longer operate as a legal entity with special privileges under Estonian law if it remains subordinate to Moscow. It may still function as a religious community, although without privileges of religious association.'
The convent vehemently denies the Estonian government's accusations.
'These allegations are both insulting and unfounded. It is ridiculous to suggest they are endangering the Estonian people and Estonia's national security. The nuns haven't done anything of that sort, and the government has no facts to support their absurd statements,' a legal representative of the convent said.
'The Pühtitsa Convent has existed for over 130 years, surviving the oppression of the Nazis and the Soviet Union. The government's allegations are false and are indeed threatening religious freedom in Estonia.'
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