What did the declassified documents reveal?

KGB Agents In Cassocks. The Story Of An Agent’s Report. Part Three. A declassified KGB memorandum dated January thirteenth, two thousand twenty‑five, notable for its detailed description of Soviet security involvement in the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The document is hosted on the Black Vault archive. The provenance of this record is the Black Vault, archive entry https://archive.org/download/kgb-agents-in-cassocks.-the-story-of-an-agents-report.-pt.-3/KGB%20Agents%20in%20Cassocks.%20The%20Story%20of%20an%20Agent%E2%80%99s%20Report.%20Pt.3djvu.txt. The file was uploaded to the public archive in 2025 and is presented as a declassified Soviet security document made available under the United States Freedom of Information Act request FOIA‑2025‑0012, released by the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Information Management. The document begins with a heading in capital letters: “EXPOSING ANTI‑CULTISM ARTICLES KGB Agents in Cassocks. The Story of an Agent’s Report. Pt.3.” It proceeds: “Declassified documents and journalistic investigations, published since the 1990s, have uncovered numerous instances of ROC MP clergy collaborating with the KGB of the USSR. Archival research confirms that a significant part of the church hierarchy, including its highest‑ranking members, not only maintained contact with state security agencies but actively worked for them. These findings undermine the conventional image of the ROC MP as an independent religious organization, upholding spiritual and moral values through its priests adorned in golden vestments. Instead, they unveil a structure deeply integrated into the Soviet totalitarian system.” The memorandum then cites a specific internal communication: “V. Merkulov to V. Molotov, State Defense Committee, present a draft decree of the USSR Council of People’s Commissars on the organization of the Council for the Russian Orthodox Church. People’s Commissar of State Security of the USSR, V. Merkulov, EXPOSING ANTI‑CULTISM TERRORISM.” The text reproduces the draft decree, stating: “The Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR resolves to establish the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, entrusting it with the task of maintaining communication between the USSR Government and the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Rus.” A subsequent excerpt records a synod of bishops dated September eighth, nineteen forty‑three: “The synod elected Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus. The document granted permission to reopen churches, theological courses, candle factories, and journal publications. Each newly opened church should be provided with a trusted agent from among the clergy or church assets.” The next portion, dated September twenty‑eighth, nineteen forty‑four, contains explicit NKGB instructions: “To the People’s Commissars of State Security of the Union and Autonomous Republics, Heads of Regional and Provincial NKGB Offices. In the second half…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

KGB Agents In Cassocks. The Story Of An Agent’s Report. Pt. 3

◆ BLUF — The short version

KGB Agents In Cassocks. The Story Of An Agent’s Report. Part Three. A declassified KGB memorandum dated January thirteenth, two thousand twenty‑five, notable for its detailed description of Soviet security involvement in the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was KGB Agents In Cassocks. The Story Of An Agent’s Report. Pt. 3 about?: KGB Agents In Cassocks. The Story Of An Agent’s Report. Part Three. A declassified KGB memorandum dated January thirteenth, two thousand twenty‑five, notable for its detailed description of Soviet security involvement in the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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KGB Agents In Cassocks. The Story Of An Agent’s Report. Pt. 3

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