Foreign Affairs
Church leader Kirill calls Ukraine war a 'holy war', making peace nearly impossible
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has labeled the conflict in Ukraine a holy war, providing President Vladimir Putin with moral justification for the invasion and rendering diplomatic solutions nearly unattainable. According to Russia expert Hans van Koningsbrugge, Kirill views all of Ukraine as part of the Russian sphere, rejecting any compromise that would allow Ukrainian independence. The Church supports the regime by framing fallen soldiers' deaths as sins-washing sacrifices, thereby discouraging criticism from grieving families. In exchange for state funding and tax exemptions, the Church acts as an ideological arm for the Kremlin, promoting the concept of the Russian World. This alignment ensures that Kirill sees no middle ground between good and evil, effectively blocking any path toward peace or negotiation despite the war's prolonged duration.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's