Vladimir Putin has faced allegations of employing nuns in an unconventional strategy targeting Europe, following the exposure of a covert Kremlin operation within a convent.
Startling images depict a nun in traditional attire proudly displaying a Russian flag bearing a ‘Z’ symbol associated with endorsing the destructive invasion of Ukraine. The St Elisabeth Orthodox convent, originally situated in Belarus, has been identified as operating in more than 20 churches throughout Sweden. Their activities included fundraising initiatives and the sale of religious memorabilia, suspected to have financially supported Russian military units.
One incident revealed the nuns engaging in commerce, offering handcrafted items, wooden icons, and knitted goods in Täby, a suburb of Stockholm, under the unsuspecting approval of a local vicar unaware of their connections to the Kremlin. Additionally, a church linked to the closely associated Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was constructed near Stockholm Vasteras airport, noted for its strategic significance to NATO.
Previously barred from visiting Winchester Cathedral in 2022 due to their pro-war stance, the nuns have prompted warnings within Catholic and Orthodox communities in Sweden to abstain from any collaboration with the St Elisabeth convent and to promptly report any suspicious activities to law enforcement.
Kristina Smith, leader of the Church of Sweden’s crisis management team, disclosed that the Russian Orthodox Church had sought to secure facilities near military installations, characterizing the situation as an eye-opening experience for Sweden. She conveyed to the Telegraph, “It’s a new phenomenon for Swedish society. The significant invasion of 2022 served as a wake-up call for many Swedes. We prided ourselves on 200 years of peace, being a benevolent nation, but it was a realization for the entire country that this may not be entirely accurate.”
Notably, a nun from the convent recently visited occupied regions of Ukraine to uplift the spirits of Russian troops, captured in a photo alongside a content soldier near a tank. This development follows the exclusion of another convent from the EU Schengen area for assisting Russian forces.
An inquiry unveiled that nuns affiliated with the Narva diocese of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate had engaged in deceptive contracts to raise funds for procuring strike drones, Starlink equipment, and specialized military gear.
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