Kathrine Frich
Religion has long played a central role in modern Russian state ideology.
The Russian Orthodox Church presents itself as a moral pillar of society and a defender of Christian tradition.
But a recent gathering in St. Petersburg has raised questions about how faith is being used in Russia today.
An extremist launch
Far-right and neo-Nazi groups from Europe, Africa and Latin America gathered in St. Petersburg in September 2025.
They met up to launch a new movement called the International Sovereigntist League Paladins.
According to open-source reporting cited by investigators and activists, the group openly promotes “white Christian values” and states that “White Christians cannot coexist with non-whites.”
The event was reported by independent journalists and researchers monitoring extremist networks.
Delegates from at least 12 countries attended, representing groups such as Greece’s Golden Dawn, Italy’s Forza Nuova, Hungary’s 64 County Movement and the UK’s Patriotic Alternative.
Church involvement
What distinguished the conference, according to reporting and material shared by the organisers, was its religious backing.
The gathering was preceded by a large Orthodox procession in St. Petersburg led by Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Images and videos shared on Telegram show representatives of far-right groups attending the procession.
A Russian Orthodox cleric was present at the conference itself, while a Spanish Catholic priest and a South African Protestant pastor sent video blessings.
Organisers described the moment as a “White Christian nationalist” gathering, according to posts reviewed by researchers.
Kremlin-linked figures
The conference was opened by Konstantin Malofeev, a sanctioned Russian billionaire often described in media reports as the “Orthodox oligarch,” alongside ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin.
Malofeev is the founder of Tsargrad, an Orthodox-fundamentalist media network that promotes imperial and anti-Western ideology.
According to reports by the Financial Times and RFE/RL, Malofeev has previously supported pro-Russian operations in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and has publicly backed Russia’s invasion.
Researchers argue his religious projects function as political tools rather than purely charitable initiatives.
Dugin, often referred to as “Putin’s brain,” has promoted Russian nationalist and anti-LGBT ideology while supporting Kremlin narratives about the war.
Global far right
After the conference, ISL Paladins launched a Telegram channel filled with racist content, anti-LGBT rhetoric and calls for coordinated far-right action.
The group declared its opposition to what it called “satanic, misanthropic, transhumanist, LGBTQ propaganda.”
Many of the participating organisations have histories of violence and run youth programs involving combat training, according to human rights groups and open-source investigations.
Sources: United24media, Financial Times, RFE/RL.
