Vladimir Putin has been accused of using nuns as a weapon against Europe after a convent was unmasked as a secret Kremlin operation. The St Elisabeth Orthodox convent, originally based in Belarus, was found to be active at over 20 churches across Sweden, where they carried out fundraising efforts and sold religious souvenirs. Authorities now believe the proceeds were used to support Russian military units on the frontline.
Shocking photographs show a nun in her habits holding up a Russian flag with a 'Z' logo, an icon used to show support for the invasion of Ukraine. The sisters recently visited the frontline to provide a 'morale boost' to soldiers. In one case, the nuns were found to have been selling handmade crafts, wooden icons, and knitwear in Täby, a suburb of Stockholm, having been invited in by the local vicar, who was unaware of their Kremlin ties.
A church belonging to the closely-tied Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was built near Stockholm Vasteras airport, described as having 'strategic importance' to NATO. The sisters had previously been banned from visiting Winchester Cathedral in 2022 over their pro-war stance. Catholic and Orthodox communities across Sweden have now been warned to avoid all co-operation with the St Elisabeth convent and to report any activity to police.
Kristina Smith, head of the Church of Sweden’s crisis planning group, revealed that the Russian Orthodox Church had also attempted to hire facilities near military bases, describing the situation as a 'rude awakening' for Sweden. She told the Telegraph: 'It’s a new thing for Sweden as a society - the full-scale invasion of 2022 was a rude awakening for a lot of Swedes. We prided ourselves on not being at war for 200 years, for being a nice country, but I think it was an awakening for the entire country that that is not really the case.'
It comes after a separate convent was banned from the EU Schengen area for providing support to Russian troops. An investigation found nuns from the Narva diocese of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate had been given fictitious contracts to raise funds for strike drones, Starlink equipment, and specialist military gear.
