The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has responded to the Estonian Supreme Court’s decision that the Churches and Congregations Act complies with the Constitution. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that “Moscow condemns any discriminatory actions taken by Estonia to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.”
This was reported by RIA Novosti.
Zakharova described the actions of the Estonian authorities as “absolute lawlessness and devilry,” referring to their view that breaking ties with the Russian Orthodox Church is a matter of national security.
According to the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Russia will raise this issue in international forums, including the United Nations.
As LF previously reported, a court in Estonia ruled that the new version of the Churches and Congregations Act, adopted by the Riigikogu in the autumn of 2025, is constitutional. The decision was issued by the Supreme Court of Estonia in Tallinn. The law primarily concerns the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church, which will be required to separate from the Russian Orthodox Church.
As is known, Estonian President Alar Karis did not promulgate the new version of the Churches and Congregations Act adopted by the Riigikogu in April 2025. In June of the same year, Parliament adopted the law again in an amended form, but the president once more declined to promulgate it and proposed that the Riigikogu reconsider the law and bring it into conformity with the Constitution.
However, the Riigikogu chose not to make further amendments and adopted the law unchanged, after which Karis submitted a petition to the Supreme Court on 3 October 2025 seeking a declaration that the law was incompatible with the Constitution.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church has considerably less room for manoeuvre than before. The Churches and Congregations Act requires religious organizations to sever administrative and economic ties with their foreign centers. Cosmetic changes, such as adding a few more provisions to their statutes, are now insufficient. This was stated by Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro. The law gives religious organizations six months to bring their statutes, governing bodies, and activities into compliance with the new requirements.
As LF previously reported, the Supreme Court of Estonia considered President Alar Karis’s petition in an open hearing on 3 February seeking a declaration that the amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act were unconstitutional. The Moscow Patriarchate church maintains that the document is directed against it, while Parliament cites national security considerations.
As is known, the annual report of Estonia’s Estonian Internal Security Service states that the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, continues to be governed by the Russian Orthodox Church despite presenting itself as independent. Although the church changed its name last year, only cosmetic amendments were made to its statutes in order to create the appearance of independence from the Moscow Patriarch, who continues to justify Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine using Christian rhetoric.
As LF previously reported, the Internal Security Service disclosed the names of clergy and individuals associated with the Russian Orthodox Church whose activities were deemed a threat to national security. Because of their support for Russian aggression against Ukraine and their promotion of the Kremlin’s foreign policy, these individuals were barred from entering Estonia and the Schengen Area.
Earlier, Patriarch Kirill Gundyayev of the Russian Orthodox Church stated that a campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church was allegedly continuing in a number of countries, including Estonia.
Although the Russian Orthodox Church regards Estonia as part of its canonical territory in its official documents, this is not the case from the perspective of Orthodox canon law. This is the view of church historian Priit Rohtmets and Orthodox canon law specialist David Hajt-Stade.
