Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill Was KGB Spy in 70’s: Swiss Media

Swiss newspapers Sonntagszeitung and Le Matin Dimanche have claimed that Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill worked as a KGB spy in Switzerland during the 1970s.

The papers say that they obtained a file from the Swiss national archives which confirms that Kirill, also known by his KGB code name “Mikhailov,” was working for the KGB while living in Geneva.

At the time, Kirill was serving as the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The papers assert that Kirill’s mission was to influence the WCC, which had already been infiltrated by the KGB, to push the institution to denounce the United States and its allies and to soften its criticism of the lack of religious freedom in the Soviet Union.

The Russian Orthodox Church declined to comment on the allegations, while the WCC has stated that it has no information on the matter. However, Kirill’s nephew, Mikhail Gundyaev, who is currently representing the Russian church at the WCC in Geneva, said, “He was not an agent, although he was subjected to ‘strict controls’ by the KGB.” Gundyaev added, “This did not affect the sincerity of his engagement in ecumenical work with other churches.”

Le Matin Dimanche reported that Kirill has visited Switzerland at least 43 times and has a special fondness for the country.

He was passionate about skiing and even broke a leg on a Swiss slope in 2007. In 2019, when he received the president of the upper house of the Swiss parliament, Kirill is said to have declared, “I have special feelings for your country.” He went on to say, “Of all the countries in the world, [Switzerland] is possibly the one I have visited the most often.”