Estonia Passes Law to Curb Russian Church Threat to Security

The Estonian parliament (Riigikogu) has passed a law that will sever ties between religious institutions in Estonia and foreign entities deemed a threat to national security — a move widely seen as targeting the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church, The Gaze reports citing Estonian media.

The Churches and Parishes Act, adopted on April 9, prevents any religious organization, including churches, monasteries, and parishes, from operating in Estonia if they are subordinated to or funded by foreign religious authorities considered a security risk.

In practice, this targets the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, recently renamed the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church, which maintains direct links to the Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Patriarch Kirill, a vocal supporter of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Estonian officials argue that Moscow uses the Church as a tool of soft power and influence operations within European countries. Attempts by Estonia’s Interior Ministry to convince the church to voluntarily cut ties with Moscow failed, prompting legislative action.

“We are talking about an organization that is run from Moscow and whose head has declared war not only on Ukraine but on the entire West,” said Helir-Valdor Seeder, MP from the Isamaa Estonian party.

Under the new law, religious organizations must revise their statutes and cut any problematic foreign affiliations within two months. If they fail to comply, they risk being removed from the official register, and losing legal status and property rights. Their assets would then be transferred to the state.

Read more on The Gaze: The “Russian World” Concept Is a Threat to European Security