The Archons of the Phanar accused Russia of waging a “disinformation war” against the Patriarchate of Constantinople

According to an analysis by the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Russia is conducting a systematic campaign of disinformation aimed at undermining the authority of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The main reason for this aggressive strategy was the decision by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to grant autocephaly to the OCU in 2019.

The report notes that after the recognition of the Ukrainian church’s independence, the Moscow Patriarchate severed Eucharistic communion with Constantinople and “launched a large-scale effort to discredit its role in the Orthodox world.” In particular, in April 2026, during a speech at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended by Sergey Lavrov, Patriarch Kirill questioned the canonical prerogatives of Constantinople, calling the doctrine of the Patriarch’s special powers “alien to Orthodoxy.”

The authors of the analysis assert that the historical status of the Patriarchate of Constantinople as the first see of Orthodoxy is enshrined in the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, in particular the Council of Chalcedon in 451. However, the pressure is mounting: it is reported that in January 2026, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) carried out a “direct attack” on Patriarch Bartholomew, using aggressive rhetoric and accusations that were quickly disseminated through a network of media outlets and social media platforms under its control.

In addition to the information war, the article mentions Moscow’s actions that “undermine the canonical order,” in particular “the illegal creation of church structures on the territory of Africa, which falls under the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria.” According to the authors of the article, these actions are aimed not only at weakening the Patriarchate of Constantinople but also at “dividing the unity of the entire Orthodox Church in order to achieve Russia’s geopolitical goals.”

As a reminder, we previously reported that the recent publication of an archived interview with the former leader of the “Kyiv Patriarchate,” Filaret (Mykhailo) Denisenko, had caused a wide resonance, refuting Constantinople’s official version regarding the reasons for its interference in Ukraine’s church affairs. According to new information, Patriarch Bartholomew was playing a double game and laying the groundwork for the legalization of the schism a decade before the Tomos was granted, secretly contacting individuals who are under anathema.