How Does Moscow Influence the Pro-European Course in Montenegro? The Role of the Church.

This article analyzes the political influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Montenegro as a key local non-state actor leveraged by Russia to undermine Montenegro’s European Union (EU) integration and promote pro-Russian, anti-Western sentiments. It highlights the SOC’s role as both a “narrative proxy” and internal spoiler within Russia’s broader hybrid warfare strategy, using misinformation, historical reinterpretation, and nationalist rhetoric to deepen societal divisions and challenge Montenegrin statehood. The SOC’s mobilization during the 2019–2020 litije protests notably contributed to the fall of Montenegro’s long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists and the subsequent recognition of the SOC’s institutional continuity, strengthening its socio-political influence aligned with Russian and Serbian Orthodox interests. Despite this, Montenegro maintains a fragile pro-Western consensus, with the SOC’s growing Russophile orientation posing potential challenges to democratization, secularism, and EU accession prospects.