Sweden's ruling Moderate coalition party has proposed moving the Orthodox church building in the city of Westeros by expropriation. In 2023, Swedish media reported that the construction of the church was funded by the Russian state-owned company Rosatom.
According to SVT, the proposal of the ruling party was submitted to the municipal council of Westeros for consideration. Local officials will give an answer at the end of May. If the municipality approves the proposal, it will be sent to the government. After that, the owner of the church will be obliged to sell the building at market value and with compensation in the amount of 25-30% in his favor.
The chairman of the municipal council of Westeros, Staffan Jansson, said that previously there had been no cases of expropriation in the city due to ties with Russia. Elizabeth Unell, an adviser to the Moderate Coalition Party, explained that the consideration of expropriation of the church began due to the fact that it is located 600 meters from the airport.
The Orthodox Church in Westeros opened in November 2023. SVT wrote that Rosatom had allocated 35 million crowns ($3.6 million) for its construction. The Russian Orthodox community in Westeros denies receiving the money. The Swedish State Security Service stated that representatives of the church may have had contacts with Russian intelligence.