Photo: Meta.mk and the official Facebook profile of Ivica Konevski

This article was first published by Truthmeter.mk (North Macedonia), within the framework of Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Project.

The construction of the Russian church in the Municipality of Aerodrom not only risks strengthening Russia’s influence among the Orthodox population, but if the proposal of the former mayor of the municipality, Ivica Konevski, is followed, it should be at the expense of the national budget. The beginning of the construction of this church was financed by the Russian businessman Samsonenko, who ended up on the American “blacklist”

Author: Matej Trojachanec

More than a decade ago, the controversial Russian tycoon Sergei Samsonenko, who ended up on the US “blacklist” at the end of 2023, invested in the construction of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in the Municipality of Aerodrom, in a typical architectural style for Russian churches. After the foundations were laid, construction activities continued for some time, but stopped shortly before the parliamentary elections in 2016.

Almost a decade later, the former mayor of the Municipality of Aerodrom, Ivica Konevski, called for this church to be rebuilt, using public funds.

Konevski, who was the “father” of the Municipality of Aerodrom from 2009 to 2017, wrote on his Facebook profile:

Konevski’s appeal should be contextualized not only because of the money that could be repurposed for other purposes for the municipality, but also because of the money with which this construction project was started.

The in-depth analysis by the Investigative Reporting Laboratory (IRL) from 2018 presents the deep connection between Samsonenko, the then VMRO-DPMNE-led government, and the MOC-OA:

Samsonenko became a prominent Skopje resident who was often seen in the company of high-ranking officials and businessmen. The longer he stayed, the more deals he received from the state. But few people know that the real boom in the Macedonian mini-empire of the Rostov-on-Don businessman began with a generous donation of 1.8 million euros given to the Macedonian Orthodox Church for the construction of the Russian church in Aerodrom, writes IRL .

As NovaTV reported , the concessionaire of the construction activities was “a company with secret ownership in the Caribbean state of Belize, where it shares the same address with media and construction companies linked to local powerbrokers from Macedonia,” a company that Samsonenko personally took over.

Thus, after Samsonenko’s donation to the MOC and during the mandates of Konevski and Nikola Gruevski, Samsonenko was granted a 35-year concession for the MZT gym, now known as “Jane Sandanski.” At the same time, the Municipality of Aerodrom changed the detailed space plan to allow him to build the “Russia” hotel within the “Jane Sandanski” sports complex, as well as the aforementioned Russian church.

The cornerstone of this church was consecrated by the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Stefan. The laying ceremony was attended by the then Russian ambassador Oleg Shcherbak, the director of the then Administration for Security and Counter Intelligence, Sasho Mijalkov, the then mayor of Skopje, Koce Trajanovski, as well as the president of the World Macedonian Congress, Todor Petrov. However, it should be emphasized that, according to IRL, the financing of this facility, although blessed and approved by these individuals, was “a noble act of the Russian businessman Sergey Samsonenko.”

On the other hand, using the Orthodox Church as a kind of weapon is part of Russia’s tactics for influence in the region. As “Truthmeter.mk” has already written, “Putin’s regime is using the Russian Orthodox Church for spreading influence in Orthodox countries:”

The ROC is exerting enormous pressure on other churches and preventing the recognition of autocephaly status the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC). By means of intelligence actions, Russian priests are recruiting members of the clergy all over the local Balkan churches.

In other words, by expanding the Russian church, an opportunity opens up to further strengthen Russia’s influence in the country. This time, it should be done with state money, as Konevski calls for.

The statute of VMRO-DPMNE states that “In the event of the termination of the party, its property shall pass into the ownership of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric,” and that is their full decision. However, North Macedonia is a secular state, according to Article 19 and Amendment 7 of the Constitution, which clearly states that the MOC and other religious communities and religious groups are separate from the state.

Finally, completing the construction of the Russian church in the Municipality of Aerodrom not only risks strengthening Russia’s influence through the Orthodox Church, but according to Konevski’s proposal, it should be done with public money. These are finances that can undoubtedly be used for other projects that will benefit all residents, regardless of their national and ethnic affiliation.