Abstract

CONSTANTINO, Pedro. Russian Orthodox Church: Kremlin’s ‘invisible hand’ in war against Ukraine. Political Observer [online]. 2023, vol.20, pp.17-26.  Epub Feb 16, 2024. ISSN 2795-4757.  https://doi.org/10.59071/2795-4765.rpcp2023.20/pp-17-26.

The article intends to demonstrate that the foreign policy of the Russian Orthodox Church (IOR) affects the implementation of Moscow’s policy in the war against Ukraine. The main goal is to determine how the Kremlin, through various hybrid capabilities and techniques, uses the IOR to implement its foreign policy vectors. The study is based on a historical analysis of the inter- national activities of the IOR, focusing on the activities of the Department of Church External Relations (DREI) of the Patriarchate of Moscow, which was created, in 1946, by Stalin and taken over by Vladimir Putin. In this context, the DREI of the Patriarchate of Moscow was and conti- nues to be “the invisible hand” of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), which works under religious cover at the world level.

Keywords : Russian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church; Holy Rus; Ministry of Fo- reign Affairs of Russia; Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; Russkiy Mir.

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