Dagbladet reveals: – Russians bought property at a naval base

BERGEN (Dagbladet): In recent years, the Russian Orthodox Church has bought a number of properties along the Norwegian coast.

Information obtained by Dagbladet shows how a congregation in Bergen associated with the Patriarchate in Moscow has established itself close to one of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ most important installations.

Haakonsvern outside Bergen is the navy’s most important port and base. The frigate gun, submarines and MTBs are located here. The Naval Academy, which trains officers, is adjacent to the base.

Information from the Property Register shows that in 2017 the congregation Christ’s Revelation Congregation bought the Søreide prayer house. The building is 3 kilometers as the crow flies from Haakonsvern. From the plot there is a full overview of the approach and large parts of the naval base.

– Flew drones in Norway for months

Closed curtains

When Dagbladet visits the parish house, there is apparently no one there. In the windows are crosses, lanterns and other religious relics.

Through the basement windows, a simple meeting room can be seen with white plastic tablecloths on the tables. Books on the shelves. In a corner there are children’s toys. But on the main floor, all the windows are covered by thick curtains.

Before the Russian congregation in Bergen bought the congregation house at Haakonsvern, they lived in the center of the city.

The Russian Orthodox Church has, through various congregations, bought several properties in Norway in recent years.

Points to intelligence threat

NATO headquarters

In Rogaland, they dispose of several properties in Karmøy, Kleppe and in Bryne. The property at Kleppe was bought by a leader in the congregation in 2017, according to information Dagbladet has obtained from the Property Register. In 2021, they bought the Nordbø parish house on Karmøy.

In Stavanger, a former leader of the local Russian Orthodox congregation owns a property near the NATO Joint War Center on Jåttå. The home is located one kilometer from the important military facility and about fifteen minutes’ walk away.

Until last year, the owner was part of the management in the congregation.

In addition, the church has a congregation at Kirkenes in Finnmark, one mile from the border with Russia. They bought this property in 2015.

The area is known for having a large exchange with Russia, and many Russians also live on the Norwegian side of the border.

In addition, the congregation has a church building in Oslo. They have been here since 1996.

– Norway must pay

– Could be a problem

Alfa Sefland Winge conducts research on socially critical infrastructure and preparedness at the Naval Academy. She says Russian-owned properties such as Haakonsvern can be a problem, but does not want to conclude.

– There will be a possibility of such buildings being used for something other than religious purposes. But I have no basis to say that it happens here.

She says there are many ways buildings and properties such as the prayer house at Haakonsvern can be used.

– If you imagine the whole range of possible measures, then you can disrupt signals, perhaps eavesdrop on signals, you can control drones from there, you can offer accommodation to people who map the area. There is a wide range of surveying activity and possible disruptions that can be carried out from such a base.

Putin’s superyacht renamed: “Orca”

– Very good view

Winge emphasizes that the church basically conducts a good and legal activity.

– There are some major challenges related to this. We have freedom of religion. This will be a balancing act between important values. That makes it very demanding to go into these questions. One must guard against making accusations that one cannot document. The churches also do a lot of good and are important in the local environment, says the researcher.

At the same time, she is skeptical about the congregation’s move to the house of prayer in Søreide five years ago.

– I ask questions about that, yes. I don’t quite understand the motivation for moving the church that was previously located in the center of Bergen to this exact location.

Winge points out the church tower at the parish house as particularly useful for shady business.

– It is possible to place, for example, a camera on a roof or clock tower. They have a very good view of Haakonsvern, you can’t miss it. It’s an uncomfortably good view.

Quiet about Putin friend

– Disturbing statements

Researcher and Russia expert Pål Kolstø at the University of Oslo is currently writing a book about the Russian Orthodox Church. He says the church and its powerful leader, Patriarch Kirill, are known to be close to President Putin and the Kremlin.

– The short answer is that the relationship is very close, says Kolstø.

Kolstø emphasizes that the relationship is somewhat more complicated, and that at times there have also been conflicts between Patriarch Kirill and Putin. But in connection with the war in Ukraine, he has stood shoulder to shoulder with the authorities and supported the invasion.

Winge at the Naval Academy supports Kolstø’s description.

Compared to Hitler and Stalin

– The Russian Orthodox Patriarch in Moscow and the Bishop in Murmansk support Putin and have spoken out in favor of the war, with rather disturbing statements. It is clear that the church in Bergen is subject to the Moscow Patriarchate.

– Curse the war

Priest at Christ’s Revelation Congregation in Bergen, Father Dmytro Ostanin, has responded to Dagbladet’s inquiry into the matter.

– There is absolutely no danger from our church. First and foremost because I myself am Ukrainian. And I curse this war that Russia has unleashed against my fatherland. My mother-in-law and father-in-law are refugees here in Norway. I write and scream these words. My relatives and my wife’s relatives are still on fire, under bombing, Ostanin writes in an email.

He says both Russians, Ukrainians and Norwegians are members of the congregation.

– I, together with my parishioners, most of whom are now refugees, do everything to help Ukrainians. This also applies to financial assistance – we support a crisis center in Dnieper, which picks up children in bombed-out towns and transports them to a safe place.

– Yes, of course, because I support my people and against Putin, many of my parishioners have gone to other Orthodox communities. But now we’ve got a lot of new people who speak the same language as me. So there is no reason to stigmatize our parish. Everyone is doing what they can for Ukraine to win in this unjust war. That Patriarch Kiryll supports this horror fortunately does not extend to everyone who professes Orthodoxy, the priest writes further.

The congregation in Stavanger denies that they own properties on Jåttå or Kleppe.