The Swedish church at the centre of a Russian spy drama
The Russian Orthodox Church is accused of being an 'active tool' of Moscow's 'soft power'

Swedish intelligence services believe that one of the country's Russian Orthodox churches could be a base for spying.
Almost everything about the "onion-domed" church beside Västerås Airport, about an hour from Stockholm, "seems odd", said France 24.
The Church of the Holy Mother of God of Kazan is "spectacular", but there is "something unwelcoming" about its reflective, dark-tinted windows that "make it hard to glimpse inside". Then there is the "high steel fence", security cameras and "no trespassing!" sign. A local told reporters that the church "doesn't seem to host many church activities apart from the two weekly services".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Potential threat
To an increasingly "vocal group of critics", the church is seen as a "potential threat" to Sweden's national security due to its "sensitive location", said Politico. When Sweden's defence forces undertake exercises at the airport, they do so "under possible surveillance from the church", Markus Göransson, a researcher focusing on Russia at the Swedish Defence University, told the outlet.
Almost a neighbour of a strategically important airport, the church is also close to a water treatment works, several energy companies and a major motorway linking Stockholm to Norway.
Neither the Russian Embassy in Stockholm nor the church in Västerås responded to emailed requests for comment.
Active tool
This is far from the first time the Russian Orthodox Church has been accused of acting as the eyes and ears of the Kremlin overseas. It is emerging as a "potential conduit" for Moscow's "covert actions" abroad, said Politico.
In 2022, Ukrainian security forces raided a monastery in Kyiv to disrupt the "intelligence operations" they claimed were based there. The following year, Bulgaria expelled three priests employed by the Russian Orthodox Church, citing national security concerns.
Then, in April of this year, Czech intelligence services claimed a Russian Orthodox church in a small Czech spa town was being used by Russian agents for "covert meetings" and "influence operations" aimed at "destabilising" the EU, said Euractiv.
Authorities in a growing number of countries are turning a "critical eye" toward the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, said Radio Free Europe. It's suspected that rather than being an "exclusively religious, spiritual organisation", it's an "active tool" of Russian government "soft power".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Superyachts are getting caught up in spy scandals
The Explainer China and Russia have both been accused of spying maneuvers on the open sea
-
Why are military experts so interested in Ukraine's drone attack?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Zelenskyy government's massive surprise assault on Russian airfields was a decisive tactical victory — could it also be the start of a new era in autonomous warfare?
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Ukraine-US minerals deal: is Trump turning away from Putin?
Today's Big Question US shows 'exasperation' with Russia and signs agreement with Ukraine in what could be a significant shift in the search for peace
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Russian strike kills dozens in Ukraine
Speed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
-
How Poland became Europe's military power
The Explainer Warsaw has made its armed forces a priority as it looks to protect its borders and stay close to the US
-
Russia frees US teacher Marc Fogel in murky 'exchange'
Speed Read He was detained in Moscow for carrying medically prescribed marijuana