Vladimir Putin is facing allegations of deploying nuns as an unconventional tool against Europe following the exposure of a covert operation linked to the Kremlin. Startling images have surfaced showing a nun in traditional attire proudly displaying a Russian flag adorned with a ‘Z’ emblem symbolizing support for the deadly incursion into Ukraine.
Operatives from the St. Elisabeth Orthodox convent, originally established in Belarus, have been identified operating in more than 20 churches throughout Sweden. Their activities included fundraising initiatives and the sale of religious mementos, suspected to fund Russian military forces on the conflict frontlines. Notably, the nuns were discovered selling handmade crafts, wooden icons, and knitted items in Täby, a suburb of Stockholm, under the guise of benign commerce facilitated by an unwitting local clergyman.
Additionally, a church affiliated with the closely associated Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was constructed near Stockholm Vasteras airport, deemed strategically significant by NATO. In a past incident, the nuns faced a prohibition from visiting Winchester Cathedral in 2022 due to their pro-war sentiments.
Communities within the Catholic and Orthodox faiths across Sweden have been cautioned against engaging with the St. Elisabeth convent and instructed to report any suspicious activities to law enforcement. Kristina Smith, leading the crisis management team at the Church of Sweden, disclosed that the Russian Orthodox Church had made efforts to secure facilities near military installations, underscoring the alarming nature of the situation in Sweden.
During a recent trip to occupied regions of Ukraine, a nun from the convent aimed to boost the morale of Russian troops, as evidenced by a photograph capturing her alongside a jovial soldier near a tank. This incident follows the exclusion of another convent from the EU Schengen area for aiding Russian military personnel.
An inquiry unveiled that nuns associated with the Narva diocese of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate had engaged in fictitious contracts to raise funds for the acquisition of combat drones, Starlink technology, and specialized military equipment.
