Russian Russian World: External and Internal Challenges International section of the XXVI World Russian People's Council was held in the White Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on November 27, 2024.
The breakout session was attended by Deputy Chairmen of the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, international scholars, representatives of the leadership of leading media, TV presenters, journalists, Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and advisers of embassies of friendly countries.
At the beginning of the meeting, Deputy Head of the World Russian People's Council S.Y. Rudov told about the history and activities of the VRNS and wished the meeting successful work.
The Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, M.V. Zakharova, in her report gave a complete overview of the external challenges facing Russia. E.A. Panina elaborated on the external military threat. P.O. Tolstoy drew attention to the wide international presence at the events of the XXVI Congress of the National People's Congress and noted that in reality, according to the Russian principles of foreign policy the global majority.
The first vice-rector of the Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian, Doctor of Philosophy V.A. Shchipkov conveyed greetings and wishes for fruitful work from Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, who traditionally heads the international section, but was on a visit to the Kingdom of Thailand on the day of the meeting. 
In his report, Vasily Alexandrovich Shchipkov noted that in the first post-Soviet years, the Russian Orthodox Church was perceived by the West as one of the victims of Soviet times, but after the Church began to build new constructive relations with the state, help society take root in tradition, take care of the social sphere, the United States rethought its foreign religious policy and began to build infrastructure for the realization of their geopolitical objectives. The goal was obvious — the weakening of the most influential and largest religions in the world. Russian Russian Orthodoxy as a whole, the destruction of which threatens to weaken Russian culture and Russian statehood, America began to support various destructive religious organizations, which, of course, could change not only the traditions, but also the entire history of a country, the most striking example of this is Ukraine, where Orthodoxy was subjected to schisms, attacks and persecutions aimed at Russian Orthodoxy as a whole, the destruction of which threatens to weaken Russian culture and Russian statehood.. 
As long as Orthodoxy exists as an independent religious movement that traces its history back to Byzantium, the West cannot forget that it does not have a monopoly on Christianity, on the right of civilizational domination in the world. And it's as if they want to forget about it by destroying Russia. Therefore, there is a struggle with the Russian Orthodox Church not only in the political arena, but also at the theological level. The Church is trying to clash with both the state and the people, to disrupt the unity of civilization. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill often says that in order to counter external threats, it is necessary first of all to solve internal problems. Therefore, an important task now is to build a sovereign system of national education. We must contrast liberal gnosticism with Christian truth, which is given to everyone at once, it is the same for the ruler and the common man, for people of different origins, different nationalities and cultures," V.A. Shchipkov stressed.