Czech Senate Security Committee Urges Government to Check Russian Orthodox Churches

The Czech Senate Security Committee has called on the government to instruct intelligence services to investigate the threat of misuse of Orthodox churches in the Czech Republic to counter Russian influence. In addition, Minister of Culture Martin Baksa should check whether the Russian Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic and the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands are operating in accordance with the law and the terms of their registration, or propose its cancellation. 

The year before last, after the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine, the ministry found no grounds for deregistration. This was stated to journalists after the committee meeting by its chairman, Pavlo Fisher.

He noted that the Russian Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic is an offshoot of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, led by Patriarch Kirill, against whom the EU and the Czech government imposed sanctions for justifying Russia's military aggression.

The Czech Republic also has the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, which is independent of the Russian Orthodox Church and has the second-largest number of believers. But, according to the Czech Senate committee, it has come under the influence of ‘persons associated with Russian security forces’.

‘The circumstances under which the meeting of this church took place on 27 June this year in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius on Resslová Street in Prague may raise concerns about its legitimacy in connection with the election of its leaders and the disposal of its property,’ Fisher said.

According to the committee, the government should instruct Czech Interior Minister Vítě Rakusan to investigate possible criminal activity by members of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands.