Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) deploys its agents in Kosovo under the guide of a UN Mission (UNIMK) to provide influence ops.Their participation in protests against the freedom of religion law in Montenegro proves that these developments are being coordinated by Russia.
Kosovar Press reports that a Russian mil intelligence officer has entered Kosovo on the eve of the protests in Gračanica on January 7, using forged ID, disguising as an employ of the UN mission enjoying diplomatic immunity.
Totally, three citizens of the Russian Federation were involved in the organization of the “itinerant protest” of Kosovo Serbs held in the main street of Gračanica on January, 9.
January 8-9, one of the operatives stayed in the Monastery of Gracanica accompanied by two other Russians and a Serbian translator to meet with Serbian clergy.
They are also planning a so-called “Protection of the Orthodoxy in Prizren” and increasing activities in Prizren.
The protest was “to oppose the nationalization of the Orthodox Church in Montenegro”. Another two GRU officers have been present in the Republic of Kosovo since December, according to Kosova Press sources, from Kosovo security institutions.
The Montenegrin Parliament, on a proposal from the government, has long ago adopted the freedom of religion law and on the legal position of religious communities in this state, repealing the old law from 1977. The Law on Freedom of Religion and the Legal Status of Religious Communities in Montenegro provides for the nationalization of properties for which the church could not prove the ownership prior to 1918. After the mentioned year, Montenegro was not an independent state and was part of the Serbo-Croatian-Slovenian kingdom.
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic accused the Serbian Orthodox Church of keeping the idea of Greater Serbia alive. Djukanovic stated that “the confessions of Serbian priests on the borders contradict the principles of Orthodox belief throughout the world”. Djukanovic added that the Serbian Orthodox Church believes that the creation of the state of Montenegro is a mistake that will be corrected in a while.
“They believe that Montenegro was created by mistake and that time will teach us about this mistake and that they will start building Greater Serbia again. Being a Serbian ally Russia provides the same ideology of denying the states existence of former Soviet Republic, as a narrative of Russian Empire and Kremlin’s zone of influence.
Pew Research notes that in the nine former Soviet Orthodox-dominated nations – except Ukraine—more than half of those surveyed agree that “a strong Russia is necessary to balance the influence of the West.”
Thus, Russia and Serbia use Orthodox Church as a tool of influence in countries with significant number of Orthodox population. They support each other in resistance to any processes that might decrease their political, social and economy power.
Putin often invokes the Russian Orthodox Church in his public speeches, giving the church a much more prominent place in Russian political life than under his predecessors. However, these invocations hardly seem sincere in the religious sense; rather he has used the church to justify Russian expansion and to try to discredit the Western influence in Eastern Europe.
The Serbian Orthodox Church has dominated religious life in the Adriatic country for a long time and it is thought to tend to around two-thirds of Montenegrin Orthodox believers.
December, 31 Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticized the law and expressed ‘serious concern’ while asserting it is aimed at removing the Serbian church from Montenegro.
Orthodox churches on Balkans are used to spread propaganda, Russian and Serbian narratives. Orthodox churches and clergy were used for recruiting Serbian mercenaries to fight in Donbass, Ukraine. In 2014 the same infrastructure was used for weapon storage and deploying Russian mercenaries’ operational bases in Donbass.
Undermining positions and influence level of Orthodox church is very vulnerable for Russia. It means decreasing influence abilities in such states. It’s no surprise that the Russian-controlled religious enclaves were set in motion to muddy water.
In May 2019 during a raid in Kosovo, police detained Mikhail Krasnoshchenkov, a Russian citizen employed by the UN mission (UNIMK). During the raid the Russian was wounded and brought to a hospital in Mitrovice. It turned out that Krasnoshchekov was the Russian GRU retired Colonel. The man was apprehended along with dozens of Bosnians and Serbs, allegedly suspected of criminal activity. It was also assumed that the group was plotting to destabilize the region.
It’s yet another fact of the GRU presence in places where the process of civic destabilization is underway. The meeting in Gračanica isn’t entirely focused on Montenegro, it is rather aimed at sparking a wave-like process in all areas where
the Serbian Church is present.
