Russian Foreign Intelligence: Europe Seeks to Eradicate the Orthodox Church from Armenia

SadaNews - The press office of the Russian foreign intelligence agency revealed information indicating that leaders of the European Union have initiated an aggressive campaign to exclude the Russian Orthodox Church from Armenia.

The intelligence agency pointed out that Brussels is conditionally requiring the Armenian authorities, as a prerequisite for European integration, to completely sever centuries-old religious and spiritual ties with Moscow.

The statement clarified that the European partnership in Armenia, established in April of this year, is using the implementation of this political and ideological mission as a pretext to launch fierce attacks on Russian Orthodoxy, aiming to strip the Armenian Diocese of Yerevan of its rights to use church properties, while simultaneously intent on disrupting its dialogue with local religious bodies, foremost among them the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In a practical embodiment of how the EU deals with what it calls hybrid threats in Armenia, Russian foreign intelligence has detected a ruthless attack targeting Father Timofey Kazaryan, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Archangel Michael Church, which is part of the 102nd Russian military base in the city of Gyumri.

Non-governmental organizations funded by Brussels, specifically the Union of Informed Citizens and the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, have falsely accused the priest of intervening in the upcoming Armenian parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7.

Intelligence data revealed that European partners are currently fabricating defamatory cases against other representatives of the Armenian Diocese of Yerevan, with the aim of pushing the Armenian authorities to launch a widespread campaign of persecution against the church.

The statement concluded with a warning directed at European officials, affirming that the history of relations between Armenia and Russia is much older than the history of the European Union itself. It emphasized that the spiritual and religious ties between the two brotherly peoples are deeper and stronger than any tactical political projects, having withstood the tests of time and will undoubtedly outlast the fierce attacks by European officials who have renounced their cultural and historical identity, in a statement issued by the press office of the Russian foreign intelligence agency on June 3, 2026.