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Russia Accuses Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Undermining the Orthodox Church

Published January 12, 2026, 17:12
Russia Accuses Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Undermining the Orthodox Church

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of taking a political stance on the issue of Ukraine and receiving support from British intelligence agencies. According to the SVR, the Patriarch is seeking to divide the Russian Orthodox world, finding common ground with nationalist and neo-Nazi forces in the Baltic states. Furthermore, he is accused of planning to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Montenegro, with the aim of undermining the Serbian Orthodox Church. The SVR describes Bartholomew's attitude as a "cunning spirit" that "disrupts the living Body of the Church", referencing biblical prophecies about "false prophets". This move is seen as an escalation of the dispute between Constantinople and Moscow regarding the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.