The Russian Orthodox Church has suffered a major blow to its public image because of disclosures, made in a series of articles in the Russian press, about the involvement of the church's hierarchy in lucrative business operations, including the import of tobacco and alcohol. Since the fall of Communism the church has become involved in various businesses to meet the costs of its own reconstruction and development. Another famous church enterprise is the production of Russia's most popular bottled water, Holy Springs, from Kostroma on the upper Volga.
Every bottle carries the local bishop's official seal.
Last year alone, the company exported 6 to 8 percent of Russia's total exports. Tobacco But other business activities carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church have been the cause of recent press attacks. The Moskovskiye novosti weekly newspaper has alleged that the church and, more precisely, its Department of External Church Relations, led by one of the church's most prominent officials, Metropolitan Kirill, has been importing tobacco on a massive scale. Wine Another newspaper, Novaya gazeta , has claimed that the Sofrino icon and vestment factory has been importing millions of bottles of wine, also duty-free. The bottles have been officially listed as church wine imported as humanitarian aid.