Hybrid Church–State Relations and Securitization of Orthodoxy in the Russian Federation and Abroad during the Russia–Ukraine War

2026/04/21 by Alar Kilp, Jerry G Pankhurst

paper · doi:10.1093/jcs/csag024

Abstract

Abstract This article addresses the securitization of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) from two angles—in the Russian Federation as a referent object of state security to be protected and as a source of threat to state and religious security abroad. In both cases, the perceived threat is understood to require extraordinary measures. Case studies of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Estonia demonstrate that for both types of securitization, the securitization of ROC is preconditioned by hybrid identities and relations between religious and secular actors. The securitization process is influenced by the rivalry between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Moscow, with comparable hybridity on both sides—their messages merge secular and religious concerns, and their actions have religious and political dimensions and outcomes.

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