A new Russian “Orthodox messenger” called Zosima knows a person more than a priest in confession. Under the guise of faith, Russian authorities have gained access to users’ personal lives, including passport data, addresses, and income, reports Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.

According to Google Play, the app allows users to follow religious services and important church events. Developers are currently optimizing features including messaging systems, an electronic library of religious texts, video content, a news feed, photo gallery, church holiday calendar, and an events section.

Military duty information

The new messenger, Zosima, has been available for only a few days but has already caused a scandal. Users noticed that according to its privacy policy, Zosima collects an extremely wide range of personal data, including passport information, addresses, income details, workplaces, and even information about military service.

Registration occurs via Russia’s Gosuslugi portal, which automatically provides access to government databases.

Prayer under state surveillance

Officially, the app is promoted as a way to make the Russian Orthodox Church “more modern” and “closer to young people.” In reality, it is yet another tool for digital control over the population. This once again confirms that the ROC in Russia effectively acts as part of the state apparatus, helping authorities manage society.

As the agency emphasized, the Zosima messenger is another example of how the Kremlin, under a religious cover, builds a system of total surveillance over its own citizens.