Divine Diplo #3 (Un)Surprising Twist: Russian Church Exposed in European Spy Thrillers
Linking the Russian Orthodox Church to European espionage
It is no surprise that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is accompanied by large intelligence operations aimed at various pressure points of European and American security. The Orthodox Church is one of the most critical conduits that the Kremlin relies on as one of the ways to further Putin’s war.
In recent weeks, two stories written by an excellent group of investigative journalists (Christo Grozev, among others) show worrying signs of Europe’s counterintelligence failure to prevent Russian networks from being embedded deeply into the heart of Europe’s decision-making.
They also give us a clue about how important the (Russian) Orthodox Church is in this war and the networks with Russia’s intelligence.
EU Parliament shaken by alleged Russian FSB operation - opens an investigation
Tatjana Ždanoka, a Latvian Member of the European Parliament, has been accused of working with the Russian FSB since 2004 when she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament. The Insider and several other media outlets from Latvia and Estonia combined forces to uncover Ždanoka’s alleged contacts with the FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service, one of the successor Soviet-era KGB agencies).
Ždanoka has denied the claims made in the investigative piece by saying, “I am an agent, an agent for peace.” The European Parliament has opened an investigation as a result of the story.
The insider reported that Ždanoka, in the span of twenty years, had at least two FSB handlers: Dmitry Gladey, who was working at the FSB’s St. Petersburg office, and since 2013, she has been allegedly assigned another handler, Sergey Beltyukov. The article alleges that these two are not the only FSB operatives that Ždanoka has assisted, providing the name of another FSB agent, Artem Kureev. He has been part of an investigation by the Estonian security services and courts in another case (involving Sergey Seredenko, a pro-Kremlin activist). Kureev was named as an FSB officer by Estonia’s state.
Ms Ždanoka is well known for her close stance to Moscow in the European Parliament and her home country- Latvia. Some of the examples include her travel to oversee the sham referendum in Crimea in 2014, just before Russia annexed it. In 2016, she had talks with Syria’s Assad. Unsurprisingly, her voting record in the European Parliament shows that she was one of thirteen Members of the European Parliament to vote against the EP resolution that condemned Putin’s war in Ukraine in 2022.
Closer to home, she has been speaking loudly about the “discriminatory policies” in the three Baltic states against the Russian-speaking communities. She’s been promoting the narrative of Latvia persecuting the use of the Russian language.
Meeting “the new” Patriarch (2009)
The revelations made by The Insider allow for a more contextual assessment of a meeting Ždanoka had in 2009 with Patriarch Kirill to discuss the problems and achievements of Russian residents living in the EU. During the meeting with Kirill, she informed him about her activities with the European Russian Forum – an initiative to bring together Russian-speaking compatriots organisations in Europe.
The Forum chaired by Ždanoka, the (then) Mayor of Moscow Luzhkov and Patriarch Kirill (then in charge of ROC’s Department for External Church Relations) started in 2007. The ROC had played a prominent role in it.
The preparations for the spin-off of the Forum mentioned above, called the European Russian Youth Forum, which started in 2010, were also discussed with Kirill at the meeting. ROC representatives were present at this event as well.
It is interesting to point out that Ždanoka confirms in her exchange with “The Insider” that her interaction with Artem Kureev (FSB operative) can be traced back to one of the European Russian Youth Forum gatherings when Kureev was invited to attend (most probably 2014).
The case in Estonia against Seredenko mentions that Kureev applied for a Schengen visa to visit Belgium (2-8 April 2014). Meduza reported that Ždanoka allegedly used her status as an MEP to assist with his visa procedure to visit the European Parliament. She says that she was recommended his name by one of her interns as a lecturer of International Relations in St. Petersburg.
FSB efforts penetrate German Bundestag - AfD aide coordinated with Moscow
While we are on the topic of espionage in the heart of Europe and how the Orthodox church may be implied, there’s been another investigative journalism piece published in Germany which alleges Russia’s FSB penetration into the Bundestag. The story first appeared in Der Spiegel in July 2023.
The case also gives us a glimpse of the shaping and using of Moscow’s often-used religious persecution narrative, aiming to discredit Zelensky’s image in the West.
The renewed investigation, which was a joint effort of Der Spiegel and (once again) The Insider, alleges Vladimir Sergienko (a German citizen, natively from Ukraine), who is an assistant to the German Parliamentarian Eugen Schmidt (AfD) for working with the Russian FSB against Germany’s efforts in helping Ukraine.
Sergienko has helped write speeches for Schmidt and other members of AfD. Founded in 2013, the “Alternative for Germany” party is a right-wing populist political force with 78 seats in the Bundestag. It is known for its Eurosceptic policies and controversial ideas on immigration and climate change. The party has opposed Germany’s Ukraine assistance and rejected the EU’s sanctions against Russia.
Sergienko is alleged in the article of methodically working against Ukraine's interests and supporting Russia in several areas, most notably efforts to halt and postpone Germany’s military aid to Kyiv. He was born in Lviv (Western Ukraine) and holds Russian and German passports.
The Bundestag access provided him with unparalleled access to Germany’s policymaking, according to a source in the Bundestag who has been interviewed for the story. It is understood that Sergienko’s access to the building has been revoked.
The part that caught my eye is Sergienko’s alleged involvement in the religious sphere.
According to the investigation of Der Spiegel and Insider, Sergienko allegedly composed a letter to Pope Francis on behalf of an organisation called VADAR, where several AfD politicians (Ulrich Oehme, Eugen Schmidt and Harald Weyel) sit on the board. Sergienko’s superior, Schmidt, is the Deputy Chairman of VADAR.
In the letter to the Pope (13 April 2023), VADAR is asking for Pope Francis to get involved in stopping the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church believers in Ukraine – a narrative that is persistent in the Kremlin and one of the core messages against Zelensky’s leadership.
According to the report, this was a task given to him by his (alleged) FSB handler, Ilya Vechtomov. The report says that Sergienko contacted Vechtomov to approve a draft version of the letter to Pope Francis.
Ukrinform reports another similar case involving Sergienko and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Sergienko was allegedly involved in helping write a speech for another parliamentarian, Harald Weyel (member of the Bundestag -AfD). In the speech, Weyel asks for increased monitoring of the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
This speech was submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he is a (substitute) member. Weyel also is on the board of VADAR together with Schmidt. COE website leads to one such submission by Weyel made on 27 April 2023, two weeks after the letter to the Pope was sent.
One of the goals of the VADAR organisation, according to its website, is to provide support to Russian-Germans and Russian-speaking victims of discrimination or exclusion resulting from the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Sergienko rejects all accusations against him as unfounded.
Thanks for reading.
Andreja
For a more extended analysis of topics relevant to the political aspects of the functioning of the Orthodox Church, check out last week’s main piece about the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision to establish an exarchate in Lithuania.
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