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Russia Accuses Patriarch Bartholomew of 'Waging War' on the Orthodox Church

Published January 12, 2026, 18:13
Russia Accuses Patriarch Bartholomew of 'Waging War' on the Orthodox Church

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has launched a fierce attack on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, accusing him of actions undermining the Orthodox Church and receiving support from British intelligence services. The SVR claims that Patriarch Bartholomew is seeking to dissolve the body of the Church, support nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, and sow discord within the Russian Orthodox world. Furthermore, he is accused of planning to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Montenegro, harming the Serbian Orthodox Church. This dispute stems from Constantinople's recognition of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a move that provoked a strong reaction from Moscow.