Senate urges investigation into activities of Orthodox churches in Czechia

The Senate’s Committee on Security has urged the government to address the potential threat of Orthodox churches in the Czech Republic being used for Russian influence operations. In addition, the Committee says Culture Minister Martin Baxa should examine whether the Russian Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic and the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands are operating in accordance with the law and the conditions of registration. The request comes in the wake of the news that Ukraine’s Parliament has banned the activities of religious groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church or any other faith group supporting Russia’s invasion of the country.