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Estonia refused to extend the residence permit of Yevgeny, Metropolitan of the Estonian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate, who in the secular world is Valery Reshetnikov, a Russian citizen, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Agency said on Thursday.
According to the Estonian authorities, Reshetnikov, who has applied to extend his residence permit, is endangering the security of Estonia. Currently, the residence permit issued to him expires on February 6th and he must leave Estonia by then.
Indrek Aru, head of the border guard office of the Northern Prefecture of Estonia, explained that the decision not to extend the metropolitan’s residence permit was related to his public statements in support of the attacker, although he had been warned in advance.
Despite the discussions in which the representatives of the Estonian Interior Ministry have repeatedly told Reshetnikov that he must stop publicly justifying the aggression of the Russian and Kremlin regimes, and the warnings, the Russian citizen has not changed his rhetoric about why he as a person which threatens Estonia’s security.
As Aru also said in the Estonian Security Police (KaPo) assessment: “Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia consistently justifies and supports the bloody aggression of the Kremlin regime against Ukraine. The activities of both Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Yevhenii contributed to the spread and promotion of the Russian policy of internal security in Estonia.” The representative of the Estonian Border Guard recalled that the parliament Russia after Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine recognized as a terrorist state.
Reshetnikov lived in Estonia for four years on a temporary residence permit. He was granted a residence permit for a short period of time, namely twice for two years. The last extension of Reshetnikov’s residence permit came two years ago, shortly before the start of Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine. He has no close relatives in Estonia.
Reshetnikov’s temporary residence permit expires on February 6th, after which he must leave Estonia. The Ministry of Police and Border Guard sent him a decision refusing to extend the residence permit.
Aru emphasized that the decision only affected Reshetnikov and had nothing to do with the Estonian Orthodox Church.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. Photo: Unisplash
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