Estonia has told the head of its branch of the Russian Orthodox Church to leave the country, calling him a threat to national security, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on January 18. Valeri Reshetnikov, who heads the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as Metropolitan Eugene, was refused an extension of his residence permit and will have to leave by February 6, ERR said, citing a Police and Border Guard spokesperson. The Estonian government has repeatedly asked Reshetnikov to "stop vindicating the Kremlin regime and Russia's military actions in his statements" but he failed to do this, the spokesperson said.
