News
A scandal has erupted in Sweden involving a group of women posing as nuns and selling souvenirs in church parishes. According to Swedish media, several churches in the country may have hosted fundraisers linked to the Belarusian St. Elizabeth Monastery, which is suspected of supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and of having ties to the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU.
The incident took place at the parish of Täby, a suburb of Stockholm. The women were allowed to set up a sales table in the church corridor with the approval of parish priest Michael Öjermo. Later, the Church of Sweden issued an official warning, stating that the funds collected could be used to support Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The nuns were dubbed the “Z-nuns” because of photos showing them with the Russian pro-war emblem “Z.” There are also images of the nuns in question visiting Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
The vicar of Täby states that he did not have complete information about the monastery’s reputation when he invited its representatives. He stresses that he does not consider the term “spy nuns” to be appropriate, as he has seen no evidence of intelligence activity. However, he acknowledged that their visits to churches could have been used as a propaganda tool, creating the impression that citizens of NATO countries support Russia.
The Church of Sweden emphasized that such cases fit into a broader pattern of Russia’s attempts to influence religious organizations and public institutions in Europe, noting that the Russian Orthodox Church has sought access to Church of Sweden premises located in the vicinity of military facilities and airports. Swedish media have paid particular attention to the Orthodox church in the city of Västerås near Stockholm Västerås Airport. Swedish intelligence agencies believe the site could be used for surveillance and information gathering, despite Russian claims that it is solely a religious facility.