Serbian Patriarch Porfirije presented the Order of Saint Prince Lazar to the director general of the Russian State Corporation Rosatom and head of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage, Aleksey Likhachev, during a ceremonial reception held at the Saint Sava Hall in Vračar.

This was reported by the outlet Orthodox Times.

At the patriarch’s proposal, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church conferred the high church award on Likhachev “as a sign of recognition and gratitude for his numerous charitable contributions and proven love for the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as for his invaluable contribution to the dissemination and preservation of Christian culture and Orthodox heritage throughout the world”.

It is known that Rosatom is one of the key sponsors of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox structures, using specially created foundations for this purpose. These funds are directed toward financing external church activities, the restoration of churches, and strengthening the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate abroad, in particular through the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.

This foundation finances projects of the Russian Orthodox Church, including dioceses of the Serbian, Polish, and other Orthodox churches.

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, enthroned on 19 February 2021, is known for his pro Russian stance, maintains close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, has visited Moscow, and has met with Kirill and Vladimir Putin.

As LF reported, in the Swedish city of Västerås a conflict continues over an Orthodox church of the Moscow Patriarchate. City authorities consider the church a potential threat to national security and have initiated a procedure for its forced expropriation. It is known that between 2021 and 2023, funds for the construction of the parish house were provided by a foundation linked to the Russian state corporation Rosatom.