Ban on the Moscow Patriarchate in Estonia: Restricting Religious Freedom or Fighting Russian Influence

B a c k g r o u n d . The study provides a justification of the grounds for the ban of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Law on Churches and Congregations of the Republic of Estonia. The factors influencing Estonia's perception of the Moscow Patriarchate as a "hostile influence" are identified. The justification of the characterization of the Moscow Patriarchate as a threat to national security in the said Law is provided. M e t h o d s . The methods of analysis and synthesis were used to determine the state of development of the research topic. The methods of monitoring and modeling were used to study the problematic aspects of Estonian legislation in the context of regulating the activities of the SLC of the MP. R e s u l t s . The factors that characterize the ban on the MP in Estonia as a restriction of religious freedom or the fight against Russian influence are compared. The content of the provisions of the Law on Churches and Congregations of the Republic of Estonia is detailed. The difference between the restriction of religious freedom and counteracting destructive Russian influence is determined. C o n c l u s i o n s . The example of the Estonian experience of restricting the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate on its territory in comparison with the Ukrainian one is considered. It is determined that the Ukrainian and Estonian experience of combating Russian influence in the context of counteracting the spread of information warfare in the religious sphere is essentially similar. The main problem here is the defense of national interests, not the restriction of religious freedom.