Religion Instrumentalized: The Controversial Position of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Over the War In Ukraine
Priit Rohtmets
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, located opposite to the Estonian Parliament. According to it’s constitution the Cathedral is a stavropigial congregation and an official representation of the Patriarchate of Moscow in Estonia. At the same time it serves as the Cathedral for the Metropolitan of the EOC-MP. Photo: Siim Lõvi.
The position of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in justifying the Russian war in Ukraine, especially the statements delivered by Patriarch Kirill, has caused a sharp reaction in Estonia. Estonia is a neighbor of Russia and until 1918 the territory of Estonia was part of the Russian empire. It is the smallest of the three Baltic republics (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), situated on the East coast of the Baltic Sea. Estonia established its independence as a sovereign state in 1918. Because of historical reasons – the Republic of Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1944 to 1991 – there is a large Russian-speaking Orthodox minority living in the country.
For the same historical reason there are two Orthodox churches registered in the country: the Orthodox Church of Estonia (OCE, in Estonian: Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik), which autonomously belongs to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (EP), and the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC-MP, in Estonian: Moskva Patriarhaadi Eesti Õigeusu Kirik), which is part of the ROC.
Over the last two and half years the representatives of the EOC-MP have repeatedly made controversial statements about the ongoing Russia's war against Ukraine and have not distanced the EOC-MP from the ROC. Consequently, the Estonian public has often asked whose interests does the EOC-MP actually represent. After all, the church is a part of society, and interest in the church's messages is therefore completely understandable.
Over the last decades for reasons of national security, the Republic of Estonia has taken a firm stand towards pro-Russian organizations and has recently not extended the residence permit of several pro-Russian propagandists. Estonia has first-hand historical experience of how the Soviet Union has acted and the Russian Federation acts, starting from a Soviet-backed coup attempt in 1924, Soviet occupation, and mass deportations in the 1940s. This list can be continued with examples from the last decades, like the high number of captured spies by Estonian security services, organizations promoting Soviet historical narratives, claiming that the Republic of Estonia was never occupied, or the financial support to an Estonian political party organized by Russian authorities. The EOC-MP was involved in the last mentioned affair.
In the context of the ongoing war and the statements made by the ROC, the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Estonia Lauri Läänemets and his staff have repeatedly asked the representatives of the EOC-MP for explanations about the position they represent regarding the war and what kind of messages are heard in the church. The minister of interior has not initiated a campaign against the Church but has responded to the controversial statements coming from the ROC, from which the EOC-MP has not distanced itself. Patriarch Kirill has also not been condemned by the EOC-MP. On the contrary, it has been confirmed several times that he is still the supreme head of the EOC-MP, as the EOC-MP belongs to the ROC.
Because of the statements made by the Primate of the EOC-MP Metropolitan Yevgeny (Valery Reshetnikov), a Russian citizen, the Republic of Estonia decided in January 2024 not to extend his residence permit in Estonia. On 6 May 2024, the Estonian parliament passed a decision to declare the ROC an aggression-supporting organization.
In the following sections, let us take a closer look at the statements made by Metropolitan Yevgeny and briefly analyze the position of the EOC-MP before and after the full-scale war in Ukraine and the reactions these statements have received. Without knowing the local context one might come to a misleading conclusion that the Republic of Estonia is violating religious freedom or is organizing some sort of campaign against the EOC-MP. Instead, the messages of the EOC-MP show, how the church is involved in promoting the narratives of Russia or is misleading the public with controversial statements.
The ambiguity of public statements by the EOC-MP
On 24 February 2022, when the war broke out, the Republic of Estonia celebrated its 104th anniversary. The celebrations were overshadowed by the attacks of the Russian Federation and the speeches given to justify the “special military operation”. The speech of Patriarch Kirill on 24 February, was published a day later on the website of the EOC-MP. This was followed on 2 March by an official statement by Metropolitan Yevgeny.
Although Patriarch Kirill had expressed his support to Putin’s actions, Yevgeny in his statement claimed that the church had nothing to do with politics. At the same time, he warned that a lot of misinformation was spreading, which could incite hatred, and urged "everyone to be sensible about spreading rumors, and not to succumb to incitement to hatred, which could complicate an already difficult situation". He called for a prayer for peace soon, but there was no mention of his condemnation of Russian aggression in his statement. At the same time, he said that political divisions and war must not divide Christians. From the very first days of the war, his statements were vague and controversial.
Metropolitan Yevgeny (left) with vicar-bishop Sergey (Telich) in 2018, when Yevgeny became the Metropolitan of the Estonian Orthdox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC-MP). Photo: Siim Lõvi.
Yevgeny was selected to become the new Primate of the EOC-MP in 2018 and was nominated to this position by the Patriarchate of Moscow. Although there was another candidate, who was more familiar with the Estonian religious context, Yevgeny, who did not have any significant relations with Estonia, was favored by Moscow. Soon after his election, he was mentioned in the yearbook of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service because under his leadership the EOC-MP joined the propaganda campaign against the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and EP. Regarding Yevgeny's earlier actions, the Foreign Intelligence Service noted that he had visited Crimea already in the spring of 2014, i.e. immediately after its annexation by the Russian Federation.
In March 2022 the vague statements made by Yevgeny after the Russian aggression caused a debate in Estonian press and social media as to whether the activities of the EOC-MP should be restricted or banned in Estonia. At the same time, several Orthodox members of the Moscow Patriarchate congregations, led by a world-famous Estonia composer Arvo Pärt, appealed to Patriarch Kirill with a request to speak up for an immediate end to the war. People were shocked by the church’s involvement in the war. Among the signatories were Orthodox from Russia, Belarus, European countries, and the United States. No public reaction by the hierarchs of the EOC-MP followed.
However, the other Orthodox church in Estonia, the OCE, managed to adopt an official statement on 7 March 2022, calling for peace in Ukraine as soon as possible and condemning Russia's unjust war of conquest. The OCE statement also emphasized that people must not be misled by sleazy news and propaganda that try to downplay or justify this terrible war.
By mid-March, the public outcry towards the EOC-MP and the ecumenical Estonian Council of Churches (ECC), uniting the EOC-MP and nine other Estonian Christian religious associations, was so loud that on 17 March, i.e. nearly a month after the beginning of the war, the ECC formulated a statement about the war. It referred to a document adopted by the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s aggression and expressed solidarity with the position of the UN. Attacks on civilian objects were separately condemned. It was also signed by Metropolitan Yevgeny of the EOC-MP.
One might think that after joining other Christian groups in condemning the aggression the problem concerning earlier ambiguous statements was overcome, but unfortunately, things got worse. In an interview given on 30 March 2022, Metropolitan Yevgeny refused to recognize Russia as an aggressor and admitted that at the request of their church, the reference to Vladimir Putin was left out of the statement of the ECC.
He confirmed that he had agreed with the statement of the ECC, but left it for everyone to decide who was to blame for the war and who was the aggressor. In practical terms, he annulled his previous signature adding that because he was not familiar with politics, he could not say who was to blame for the war. He also said that he had instead heard the Russian side claiming that the Russian attack was preventive, i.e. it was planned to prevent an attack of Ukraine a few days later. According to him, the responsibility for resolving the conflict also lay on the West. He added: “Three to five years pass, maybe even 50, and then some documents are found that completely overturn today's interpretations of these events.”
Yevgeny also confirmed that on 20 March, i.e. nearly a month after the war, he attended the liturgy with Patriarch Kirill at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Finally, he expressed his conviction that even though some European congregations had left the ROC, the war would not crack the unity of Estonian congregations of the Moscow Patriarchate. This was probably meant to be a response to the grassroots initiative by a group of Orthodox from the EOC-MP, who called Patriarch Kirill to speak up for an immediate end to the war.
As a result of the controversial position of the EOC-MP throughout the Spring, Summer, and Autumn of 2022 there were articles published in Estonian media, analyzing the historical and political position of the ROC and the EOC-MP and demanding the termination of the EOC-MP.
The Minister of Interior asks for an explanation
Even though the statements made by the leader of the EOC-MP were vague and controversial state authorities at first did not act in any way. In this respect, the sermon on 25 September 2022, where Patriarch Kirill said that all soldiers who die in the line of duty in Ukraine have all of their sins forgiven brought a change. Kirill’s sermon received a strong reaction from Estonian religious leaders, but also from politicians. It wasn’t only the words of Kirill that caused such a heated reaction, but the ambivalent position of the EOC-MP, i.e. the fact that after more than six months the church had not managed to clearly state its position towards the war.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, Patriarch Kirill's speech was an act of hostile influence activity, which was not allowed in Estonia. Therefore, on 27th September 2022 Lauri Läänemets, the Minister of Interior, said that he expected a clear message from Metropolitan Yevgeny that he disagreed with Patriarch Kirill: "Our expectation is that the Metropolitan would clearly say that he distances himself from these statements and that the Russian Orthodox Church in Estonia, which subordinates to Moscow, will not go along with such activities”. As Metropolitan Yevgeny did not take a stand on his Patriarch’s words, he was invited to the Ministry of Interior to explain his position in connection with the views of Patriarch Kirill.
As Metropolitan Yevgeny is a Russian citizen, who at that time had a fixed-term residence permit in Estonia, the Minister of Interior said on 5 October 2022 that the actions of the Metropolitan could lead to a withdrawal of his residence permit. When these events happened, Yevgeny was not in Estonia, officially due to health reasons. On 9 October he celebrated his 65th birthday in Moscow, and Patriarch Kirill congratulated him and praised him for preserving the unity of the church. As Yevgeny was not in Estonia, Raivo Küüt, the Undersecretary for Population and Civil Society of the Ministry of Interior first met with two representatives of the EOC-MP and explained the need to take a position about Kirill’s statement and gave a deadline for Yevgeny to formulate his answer.
Minister of Interior Lauri Läänemets and Raivo Küüt confirmed that if there was a danger that under the guise of religious freedom a church was actually defending a position or justifying the military or other actions of the aggressor state, the Republic of Estonia could not allow this and must react to it. Undersecretary Küüt also explained that the Estonian state had not demanded a political statement from Metropolitan Yevgeny, but explanations and a clear message that the church operating in Estonia did not support the enemy and thus did not divide the society. The Orthodox community had the right to practice their religion without being influenced by rhetoric, which justified aggression or was politically biased.
Metropolitan Yevgeny (right) leaving the Ministry of Interior with archpriest Yuvenaly (Kaarma) in October 2022. He was asked to clarify the position of the EOC-MP about the Russian war in Ukraine and the statements made by Patriarch Kirill several times. Photo: Priit Mürk.
On 12th October Metropolitan Yevgeny officially stated that he did not share the views of Patriarch Kirill concerning his sermon about the forgiveness of sins to Russian soldiers and confirmed that there was no war propaganda made in the church.
However, like in Spring, this was far from all Yevgeny said to explain his position. First, he confirmed that he was loyal to his Patriarch as the supreme leader of the ROC and that there was no schism between the two: “No, he is our patriarch and I did not express any opposition to him”, he explained, and added that he just expressed his disagreement with one statement made by Kirill about the forgiveness of sins to soldiers. So, all in all, he continued to share all the other public statements made by Patriarch Kirill about the war. Among them are statements, which can be considered as justification of crimes of aggression.
Moreover, Yevgeny said that he disagreed with the statement about the forgiveness of sins because it was expressed confusingly. He offered a very surprising explanation, saying that in fact, the Patriarch had not incited war, but tried to take care of people so that they would not lose their humanity in this difficult situation.
On 18 October 2022, Yevgeny gave an interview, which aired a day later in Pealtnägija, one of the most popular weekly shows on Estonian National Television. He said that he had always considered the war as evil and that’s the reason why the church was against the war. However, when asked again, whether he was against the war that Russia was waging in Ukraine, he wasn’t so sure anymore and distanced himself from holding Russia responsible for the war. Moreover, he wasn’t willing to take a stand on the fairness or unfairness of the war: “Whether it is fair or unfair, we cannot always say, because after some time - I also said this in the previous interview - some documents, different views may come out, and then they start pointing the finger that he said this, but it wasn’t actually so. The Church does not interfere in politics in this matter and tries to distance itself from evaluating the events. War as such is evil”.
Church engaged in politics
Although the EOC-MP officially distanced itself from politics, shortly before Estonian parliamentary elections in March 2023, Metropolitan Yevgeny together with Aivo Peterson and Oleg Ivanov, two representatives of an NGO “Together” (Koos) released a video on social media, inviting people to a prayer for peace on 22 February 2023. Peace was used as a tool to withdraw from supporting Ukraine and emphasize the need to re-establish friendly and peaceful relations with Russia. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the same NGO had repeatedly made pro-Kremlin statements.
On 30 January 2023, the Ministry of Interior published a press release that Yevgeny was again invited to the Ministry to explain his involvement in organizing a political demonstration. It was already the second time he was asked to explain his position.
After a heated reaction by Estonian politicians, who said that Yevgeny’s residence permit should be revoked due to his cooperation with “Together,” he decided to withdraw and cancel the prayer, claiming that the church fell victim to a provocation.
Peterson and Ivanov registered the NGO Together as a political party, but on 11 March 2023 Peterson was arrested by the Estonian Internal Security Service on suspicion of treason and thereafter Oleg Ivanov left for Russia, claiming that he would continue running the party from there.
A few months earlier, on 29 November 2022, the Estonian biggest daily newspaper Postimees published an interview with Metropolitan Yevgeny, where he said that the church should not react to everything that happens in society, but should do so in the most important issues, above all in matters concerning morality. He repeated that the church should distance itself from politics. The position seems to separate political issues from values, although in fact value issues are an integral part of Russian state politics. After all, Russian leaders justify the current war by protecting their values and their way of life.
Another striking conclusion is that killing Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in a cruel and torturous way is a political and not a moral issue in Yevgeny's opinion, and therefore there is no need to speak on this topic. According to him, and likewise the synod of the EOC-MP (it consists of clergy and lay people), it is enough to refer to the statement adopted by the ECC in March 2022, in which the war was condemned.
Metropolitan Yevgeny with Sergey Männik and Yevgeny Tomberg visiting Edgar Savisaar in 2019. Männik served as a member of the EOC-MP’s synod and Tomberg, a childhood friend of Vladimir Yakunin was responsible for building the church in Lasnamäe. Source: Edgar Savisaar’s Facebook account.
However, it was not the first time the EOC-MP had been involved in politics. In 2010, the EOC-MP reached the news in connection with Estonian national security. The construction of a new church in the Lasnamäe district in Tallinn received public attention because it turned out that in February 2010 the leader of the Estonian Center Party, Edgar Savisaar, who was the Mayor of Tallinn at that time, met with Vladimir Yakunin, the head of the Russian Railways to ask for his financial support for construction of EOC-MP church in Lasnamäe, district in Tallinn with a large number of Russian speaking inhabitants. The Center Party in Estonia had a cooperation agreement with Putin's United Russia Party, and it was very often critically referred to by Estonian media and politicians, causing a fight even among the Center Party members themselves.
Yakunin, who was known to be a close ally of Vladimir Putin from the 1990s and like Putin served in the ranks of the KGB during the Soviet era, was also one of the board members of the “Russkii Mir” Foundation when the scandal broke out. Yakunin grew up in Estonia, where his father had served as a Soviet army officer. The meeting took place in Tallinn, and it turned out that Savisaar was actually asking for support for his party to finance the coming elections, and funding the construction of Lasnamäe Church was just a cover-up.
During the same visit, Yakunin also met Metropolitan Kornelius of the EOC-MP. Kornelius was the leader of the EOC-MP until his death in 2018. Regardless of the scandal, another foundation headed by Yakunin (Фонд Андрея Первозванного) helped to finance the construction of Lasnamäe church, but the Estonian Internal Security Service managed to prevent the transfer of money to the Centre Party. Although the EOC-MP had already had a reputation as a Russian church, the scandal for the first time showed, how directly the Russian state authorities used the church to do politics.
Metropolitan Yevgeny leaves, the situation remains tense
On 18th January 2024 the Minister of Interior, Lauri Läänemets announced that the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board had decided not to extend the residence permit of Metropolitan Yevgeny. The representative of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board explained that the representatives of the Ministry of the Interior had several times met with the Metropolitan and explained to him that he needed to stop promoting the Kremlin regime and Russia's military actions in his statements. But despite past warnings, he has not altered his conduct.
On 12 April 2024, the Estonian Internal Security Service published its yearbook, where a paragraph was dedicated to Metropolitan Yevgeny, who left Estonia in early February. The reasons for the decision not to extend his residence permit were the promotion of Russian state narratives and the intervention in Estonian domestic politics. The report added: “From Russia’s perspective, it is crucial to maintain the entities associated with the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, along with their influence and assets because the church is one of the few remaining levers for Russian influence operations that are not yet directly affected by international sanctions.”
Before Yevgeny departed, Daniel Lepisk, an archpriest from Southern Estonia was consecrated as a vicar-bishop of Tallinn. As almost the only native Estonian in the jurisdiction, he became the public voice for the EOC-MP. In addition to Lepisk, there are two other bishops: a vicar-bishop of Tallinn Sergi (Oleg Telihh), who before becoming a priest served as a Soviet army officer, and Bishop of Narva and Peipsiveere Lazar (Aleksandr Gurkin), who is serving the Orthodox community in Eastern Estonia.
Things did not calm down after Yevgeny’s departure. After the World Russian People's Council on 27 and 28 March, headed by Patriarch Kirill, declared the war in Ukraine a holy war and said that the West had been immersed in satanism, the Minister for Internal Affairs, asked the representatives of the EOC-MP to explain their position about the statements delivered by the supreme leader of their church, the ROC.
As it was already the fourth time the EOC-MP had been invited to the Ministry to explain their position about the statements made by Patriarch Kirill, and although the bishops of the EOC-MP distanced themselves from the decisions of the World Russian People's Council (however, not from Patriarch Kirill), the minister concluded after the meeting that the canonical and constitutional ties between the EOC-MP and the ROC have to be cut for the church to continue serving its flock in Estonia. The representatives of the EOC-MP claimed that the local church bore no responsibility for the statements made by the Patriarch and therefore rejected the demand to leave the canonical jurisdiction of the ROC. However, as Kirill is the leader of the church, and when he or his words are not condemned, he speaks as the Primate of the Church. It is impossible to separate the primate from the flock, so Kirill is not only the bishop of Moscow but the spiritual head of his entire flock.
More specifically, as the president of the Holy Synod, Kirill represents the entire church, because as head of an autocephalous church and its synod, Kirill cannot do, say, or represent anything without the knowledge and agreement of the other members of the synod. Canon 9 of Antioch (341) and Canon 34 of Canons of the Apostles stipulate this principle.
Furthermore, as the president of the Holy Synod of the ROC, Kirill cannot take a public position that does not automatically represent the entire ROC and his ruling Holy Synod. EOC-MP, which according to their statutes has a canonical subordination to the Holy Synod of the ROC, under whose jurisdiction they also belong, is therefore in subordination to the Holy Synod of the ROC and its president, who represents in his statements the entire ROC.
In an interview on 11 April 2024, Minister Lauri Läänemets said that based on the recent assessment from the Internal Security Service and his own knowledge about the matter, he had no choice but to propose to the Estonian parliament to declare the activities of ROC as a terrorist and the ROC as an organization supporting terrorism. He said that there were no differences between Islamic terrorist groups declaring war on the West and the ROC declaring a holy war against Ukraine and the West. He added that “this will not affect congregations, and it does not mean that churches will be closed, but it means that the connection with Moscow will be cut.”
On 14 April 2024, Läänemets sent a letter to the leaders of the EOC-MP and all congregations, stating that the Republic of Estonia firmly defends the principle of religious freedom and therefore as a minister of the Government he wishes that all Orthodox believers in Estonia would get their chance to exercise this freedom of belief and religion in a way that it would not be overshadowed by the messages by the ROC calling for aggression. He added that he wished that the Estonian Orthodox, regardless of their nationality and citizenship, would feel that in a free country, they would be protected from terror and other hostile ideologies and would also be free from the structural chains of that sort.
As a result of the statement by Patriarch Kirill, the Estonian 101-seat parliament Riigikogu on 6 May 2024 passed a statement condemning the actions of the ROC in justifying and supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine and declaring the Moscow Patriarchate an institution sponsoring Russia's military aggression (75 voted for and 8 were against it). Riigikogu stated that the calls of the ROC contain an inherent danger to Estonia's security and survival, including a direct threat to the public and constitutional order in Estonia. They also emphasized that protection from Russian propaganda applies to Orthodox residents of Estonia, regardless of their language, ethnicity, or canonical association. At the same time, the parliament stressed that declaring the Moscow Patriarchate an institution sponsoring Russia's military aggression concerns the ROC as an institution and an executive body, not the people who follow Orthodox traditions.
The decision of the Estonian parliament came more than two weeks after a similar statement by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, an organization with 46 member states, which focuses on the promotion of democracy and human rights. Russian Federation was a member of the organization from 1996 until it was kicked out in 2022.
The assembly condemned the statements and actions of the ROC and its leader, calling on “all states to treat Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox hierarchy as an ideological extension of Vladimir Putin’s regime complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity conducted in the name of the Russian Federation and the Russkiy Mir ideology”.
After these steps, the Ministry of Interior has looked into ways to find a peaceful solution to the situation. Taking into account the articles published internationally about the heretical position of Patriarch Kirill, including a statement published in 2022 by a great number of scholars and Orthodox clergy about the teaching of the Russian World (Russkiy Mir) as an ethnophyletist ideology (it was published in Estonian in Spring 2022), the minister has encouraged the EOC-MP to cut ties from Moscow and has referred to Kirill’s position as heretical.
Although one parish of the EOC-MP in Tallinn decided to propose for the church to become autocephalous and as an alternative offer the OCE proposed that after cutting ties with the ROC the church could maintain its canonical church via the commemoration of the metropolitan Stefanus of the OCE and have a vicar-bishop to lead the church, the official line of the EOC-MP has been firm in declining all propositions. Declaring or receiving autocephaly (it has not been discussed so far) seems impossible under these circumstances, so the offer by the OCE seems to be the most reasonable solution. However, as the EOC-MP has for decades accused the OCE of being schismatic, it seems difficult to accept the offer by the OCE. Instead, the EOC-MP initiated a public campaign claiming that religious freedom was being violated by the Minister of Interior and that the church hadn’t done anything to defend or promote the current war.
This is hardly true because the statements prove how the church through the words of its local leader managed to promote the idea that it was Ukraine who wanted to attack Russia first and that perhaps in due course there would be new information, which will prove that. This is just one example.
The key to understanding the strategy of the EOC-MP in current affairs is very much related to its identity and, most importantly to its past. The deep and intimate relationship between the ROC and the EOC-MP not only shapes the identity of the local Orthodox community but also enables it to maneuver through the current difficult times when the very survival of the church is at stake. At the same time, this makes it difficult to speak of the EOC-MP as an organization that could integrate the Russian-speaking community into Estonian society. On the contrary, the EOC-MP has not developed practices specific to the local church over the past decades but still retains the image of imperial Orthodoxy – the same one that fuels the current war.
Priit Rohtmets is an Associate Professor at the University of Tartu and Professor of Church History at the Theological Institute of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. He is a researcher with a special interest in Estonian, Baltic, and Scandinavian church history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and has done research on state-church relations, the history of Orthodox Churches in the Baltic states and the Balkans, the relationship between nationalism and religion in Northern Europe and the ecumenical movement in the Baltic States.