The Institute of Latvian History will host the launch of Andis Kudors’ book, “The Russian Orthodox Church’s Wartime Public Diplomacy in Ukraine: Constructing The Russian World”.

The book examines how the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) systematically used religious narratives as a strategic instrument of warfare, supporting Russia’s military objectives and seeking to undermine Ukrainian resistance.

This was reported on the website of the Institute of Latvian History.

The book provides a detailed account of how clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate used religious messaging to support Russia’s military operations.

The discussion of Kudors’ book will pay particular attention to relations between the Latvian Orthodox Church and the state.

Andis Kudors holds a PhD in social sciences and is a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Latvia. From 2006 to 2019, he served as executive director of the Centre for East European Policy Studies. His research interests include national security, Russian foreign policy, propaganda, disinformation and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in foreign policy.

The book discussion will feature the author, Andis Kudors, PhD in social sciences, and Inese Runce, PhD in history. The discussion will be moderated by Mārtiņš Kaprāns, PhD in communication science.

The launch will take place on 28 October at 5:00 p.m. at the Institute of Latvian History (Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia), in the Sapere Aude lecture hall at 4 Kalpaka Boulevard, Riga.