St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Moscow, the sole church of its kind in the Russian capital, has halted its religious services due to a prior conflict regarding its ownership and management.

In a statement issued over the weekend, the church announced, “No services will take place in the upcoming weeks as there are no individuals authorized to lead them in compliance with Russian law.”

The church also cautioned that any services conducted by individuals or groups affiliated with foreign religious organizations have not received the church’s endorsement and would breach Russian regulations regarding religious entities.

“The Diocese in Europe of the Church of England lacks the jurisdiction to oversee Russian religious organizations or perform religious activities within Russia,” the statement explained.

St. Andrew’s did not provide any comments when approached for clarification.

Reverend Canon Dr. Arun John, originally from India, was appointed as the chaplain of St. Andrew’s in December 2024. He reported last year that several members of the church were “illegally seizing control of the church’s administration and finances.”

“This group has also attempted to obstruct the appointed chaplain’s ability to obtain a visa to return to Russia,” John noted in a newsletter last fall.

It remains unclear whether this internal conflict is related to the recent suspension of services at St. Andrew’s.

Founded in 1825, St. Andrew’s church building in Voznesensky Pereulok, central Moscow, was consecrated in 1885.

The church was seized by Soviet authorities in 1920 and repurposed for various uses, notably functioning as a recording studio for the state-owned Melodiya record label.

Services were resumed in 1991, and the church was officially restored to the Anglican community in 1994.

St. Andrew’s is the only church in Russia specifically designed for Anglican worship. In other cities such as St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, the Anglican Church has to rent facilities for its services.