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    Matryoshka Sales, Russian War Financing, and a Belarusian Network Across European Churches Recent years have seen Belarusian nuns from the Saint‑Elisabeth Convent in Minsk offer matryoshka dolls, religious icons and honey at French churches and cathedrals. While the sisters frame these sales as charitable activity, they openly support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and have participated in collections for Russian soldiers. The convent operates an orphanage caring for approximately two hundred children who have been abandoned owing to physical or mental disabilities. Additionally, sisters run a shelter located thirty kilometres from the mother house that provides aid to the homeless, alcoholics and drug addicts. In May 2023 the diocese of Paris announced a parallel “exhibition and sale” at Saint‑Léon, showcasing icons, handmade crafts, honey and herbal teas. Later that year the sisters offered their goods at the Celtic Orthodox Church in Saint‑Dolay, Brittany, holding the stall for several weeks during the summer—a setup later examined by Ouest‑France. During the summer the convent maintained a temporary booth in Les Sables‑d’Olonne near Nantes on France’s Atlantic coast, prompting an investigative report by Ouest‑France that highlighted ongoing fundraising activities for Russian forces. Continent‑wide network The convent’s outreach began in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when sisters travelled unplanned routes, stopping at parishes, festivals and Christmas markets throughout Europe and asking permission to sell their products. In exchange, they were welcomed to charitable events. Since 2022 the convent has been engaged in dedicated fundraising campaigns that finance vehicles and equipment intended for the Russian military. These monetary flows are channeled through various entities and retail outlets that form part of a broader organizational structure. Vehicle and drone financing The StopSEM project, created by Christian Vision, tracks donations to Russian servicemen and has collected documentation of such operations. Some campaigns involve the network‑funded purchase of at least seven military vehicles for moving personnel and evacuating the wounded, as well as drones that were supplied through the same channel. When approached by the Polish‑based outlet Vot Tak in 2023, Sister Alexandra affirmed that her group was indeed supplying requested equipment to the army. Conversely, Vassilevitch reports that the convent actively encourages vulnerable individuals—such as former prisoners—to join the Russian forces, framing their narratives around heroic sacrifice to contrast with ordinary despair. A priest decorated by Putin Archpriest Andrei Lemeshonok, the spiritual father of the convent, has regularly defended Russia’s intervention. Beginning in 2022 he proclaimed that the monastery itself had become a “combat unit.” In May 2025 he was honoured by Vladimir Putin with the Pushkin Medal, a national distinction recognising support for the Russian language and culture abroad. At the Kremlin ceremony Lemeshonok likened his vocation to a pilgrimage toward Golgotha, emphasising a nationalistic sense of purpose. Question over visas Despite continued fundraising trips to France, external scrutiny rose. In 2023 the pastor of Les Sables‑d’Olonne, Father Antoine Nouwavi, initially refused to host the sisters after learning of their anti‑Ukrainian advocacy. He permitted their return after receiving correspondence from Mother Superior stating that accusations of weapons shipments were unfounded and that proceeds went solely to charitable goals. Nevertheless, the priest admitted he lacked the ability to guarantee the final destination of the donations. Christian Vision has alerted French church officials to the convent’s activities. Following Vassilevitch’s analysis, the organisation reported a steep decline in the willingness of other European congregations to accept the nuns. Other European nations have adopted tighter measures: Sweden’s church formally advised parishes to cease housing the nuns, and their stalls were either banned or shuts​ded down in Poland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. In Germany, a Bundestag member called for an independent probe into the sect’s operations. Vassilevitch highlights the difficulty Belarussians face in obtaining Schengen visas as a sign of growing suspicion. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded generically, saying it possessed no additional information on the matter.

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    Thursday, October 1, 2026
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    Sonay Kartal Marks Strong WTA Comeback with China Open Victory After Injury Layoff

    Sports
    Sonay Kartal Marks Strong WTA Comeback with China Open Victory After Injury Layoff

    Britain’s Sonay Kartal successfully returned to the WTA Tour following a nearly six-month injury break, securing a confident win over Spain’s Andrea Lazaro Garcia at the China Open in Beijing.

    The 24-year-old suffered a lower back injury at Indian Wells in March and made her comeback through the Billie Jean King Cup on September 22.

    Last week, Kartal narrowly fell to Czech world number 26 Marie Bouzkova in straight sets. However, she bounced back strongly in Beijing, defeating Lazaro Garcia 6-2, 6-3.

    Demonstrating solid shot-making, Kartal broke her opponent’s serve five times, aided by four double faults from Lazaro Garcia, while landing 69% of her first serves.

    Currently ranked world number 129, Kartal will next face 31st seed Wang Xinyu of China as she aims to climb the rankings ladder.

    Fellow British players Harriet Dart and Cameron Norrie are also scheduled to compete later on Thursday.

    In other news, British number one Arthur Fery was defeated 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 by Portugal’s Jaime Faria in the first round of the Japan Open.

    Denmark’s Holger Rune also experienced a loss in his first ATP Tour match in nearly a year. The former world number four tore his Achilles tendon in October 2025 and has since slipped outside the top 100.

    Rune was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by France’s Kyrian Jacquet in Tokyo.

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