The Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate have jointly deployed a strategy of religious soft power, instrumentalizing Russia’s interpretation of Orthodox Christianity, for purposes of Russia’s geopolitical ambitions and foreign policy revisionism aimed at recovering Great Power status and for the Moscow Patriarchate’s strategy of Orthodox imperialism aimed at supplanting the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the leader of global Orthodox Christianity.

Russia’s deployment of Orthodox soft power for influence building is transnational in scope, and Greece’s unique position in NATO and in connection to the Ecumenical Patriarchate has meant that Russia is attempting to use religious soft power tools for disruptive purposes in Greece.” Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, Center for Strategic and International Studies project on The Kremlin Playbook: Keeping the Faith.