Disguised as charity work, the monastery spreads Kremlin propaganda and runs militarized training programs for children. The Church of Sweden has urged its parishes to refuse cooperation with the nuns from Minsk, Belarus, following their recent visit to a parish in the Swedish city of Taby. The monastery cultivates a positive image of social work and missionary activity, while in reality concealing its role in supporting war and maintaining close ties to the regimes of Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. By purchasing their products, people may unknowingly be financing Russia's war. For several years, the St. Elisabeth Convent, also known as the St. Elisabeth Monastery (SEM), an institution under the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), has appeared at Christmas markets across Europe, selling religious-themed gifts presented as traditional and charitable. Behind this facade, however, the monastery has been raising money to support the Russian army and its war in Ukraine.

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