Main image: Church of Saints Peter and Paul in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary. Photo: VitVit / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Russian military intelligence used the Orthodox church in Karlovy Vary as a cover for secret operations in Europe, reported the Czech Security and Information Service (BIS), reports postimees.
According to the agency, the church in the western Czech spa town became a meeting place for GRU agents who coordinated actions aimed at undermining the European Union and conducting information operations.
Czech intelligence services established that some of these meetings were directly related to hostile activities against EU states.
The former priest Nikolai Lishchenyuk was expelled from the country for activities in the interests of the Kremlin.
After Lishchenyuk's expulsion, the Russian Orthodox Church took steps to protect its property in the Czech Republic from potential sanctions. The ownership of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, as well as the nearby Villa Sofia, was transferred to the Hungarian branch of the church.
Currently, the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic are overseen by Ilarion — a former bishop from Budapest and a close associate of Patriarch Kirill.
