- Category
- Latest news
Holy Cover? Sweden Probes Russian Orthodox Church Over Espionage Suspicions
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
A Russian Orthodox church in the Swedish town of Västerås is drawing scrutiny from local authorities and security services over suspected ties to Russian intelligence — just as Europe grapples with the expanding scope of the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare.
An investigation by France24, published on July 4, reveals that the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, located just 300 meters from Stockholm-Västerås Airport, may be serving more than a religious purpose. Built with funding from a Rosatom-backed foundation, the church has raised multiple red flags: an unusually tall spire in violation of local zoning, rare public services, and a priest previously decorated by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
Sweden’s domestic security agency, SAPO, believes the church is being used as a platform for espionage and other hostile activities.
-13cc5c0df689640f05cd412243cd07cc.jpg)
“Nothing is normal about a church that close to the airport,” said Andreas Nyqvist, director of the airport’s control tower.
Since Sweden joined NATO in 2024, the facility has regained military significance, hosting regular Alliance exercises to defend the Nordic-Baltic region from possible Russian aggression.
Local residents report that the church, surrounded by a high metal fence and marked with a “No trespassing!” sign, holds services only twice a week. Calls go unanswered. Surveillance cameras line the perimeter.
Security analyst Patrik Oksanen, who recently co-authored a book on Russia’s influence operations in Sweden, calls the site a textbook example of soft power cloaked in spirituality.
“The threat of the Russian Orthodox Church is underappreciated by a lot of countries in Europe. It is the only [Russian] structure not affected by sanctions, and we tend to make the mistake of looking at it as if it was a church – because it looks like a church – when in reality, it’s something else,” he said.
-21212ab08090f2219ba39a94d91fa548.png)
The Västerås church was consecrated in November 2023 in a ceremony attended by Russian and Belarusian diplomats, one of whom — Vladimir Lyapin — has since been exposed as a Russian spy by Swedish investigative journalists. Two weeks later, SAPO issued a public warning that the Moscow Patriarchate in Sweden is supporting Russian intelligence operations and receiving significant state funding.
Municipal authorities are now considering the unprecedented step of expropriating the building, citing national security concerns.
“The property is being used, or could be used, for espionage activities linked to a foreign power,” the city stated.
Earlier, a new analysis by maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global showed that Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers has more than tripled in size since early 2022, as Moscow increasingly relies on aging vessels to circumvent Western sanctions.
