The Holy Mountain has no problems without Russian money. This was stated in an interview with LF by Bartholomew, the abbot of the Esphigmenou Monastery.

According to him, Russians donated money to the monasteries of the Holy Mountain, but only in order to exert control over people.

“They really did that, but they wanted something in return. They wanted to control people. But the Holy Mountain has no problems without their money. Holy Mount Athos has never been bound by money. Yes, the Russians could provide funding. But they believed they had an exclusive right to do so. Now others contribute, namely Romanians, Ukrainians, and Greeks. The European Union also allocates funds to the Holy Mountain through its financial programs,” the abbot said.

He also noted that Russian pilgrims now no longer arrive directly from Russia. Instead, they travel only through Serbia and Türkiye. Those who hold European citizenship also continue to visit.

“There are far fewer of them than there were in the past. Now many more Romanians and Ukrainians are coming,” the monk emphasized.