On March 14, 2002 charismatic pastor from Riga Alexey Ledyaev came to airport Sheremetyevo but was denied access to Russia--without any explanations. He spend 11 hours under arrest without food and water, and received no explanations.
On April 5 my friend Fr Stefano Caprio was deprived of his annual visa and accused in espionage (on this day he left to Milan for short Easter vacations.)
On April 15 Polish Roman Catholic bishop of Irkutsk (Siberia) Yerzy Mazur came to Sheremtyevo but was denied access to Russia and proclaimed persona non grata.
Certainly, this a campaign, but what campaign? I don't think that government helps to Moscow Patriarchy's leaders. Just the opposite: Patriarch et al. help to the new government course with their anti-Westernism. And the course is on the restoration of the Iron Curtain! "Do not err, my beloved brethren"! This is not just an anti-Catholic or anti-religious freedom move. This is a new Isolationism under the coverage of Putin's smiles. Don't be afraid of silly and tiny Russian Orthodox fundamentalists, don't be even afraid of Putinism, although this is a frightful phenomena. Be afraid on new Munich! Western indifference to Chechnya can become real cancer.