Ukraine announced that it is initiating criminal proceedings against Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, for “justifying” the Russian invasion of its territory.
Patriarch Kirill, a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin, described Russia’s attack on Ukraine as a battle against the “forces of evil”.
Ukrainian authorities said in a statement that they “collected evidence against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Gudyaev (known as Kirill).”
He is “a member of the inner circle of senior military and political leaders in Russia and (…) one of the first to publicly support the war against Ukraine”.
Patriarch Kirill undermined Ukraine’s territorial integrity by justifying the armed attack, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“Measures will be taken to bring him to justice for the crimes committed against our state,” they added.
Ukraine, a predominantly Orthodox country, severed ties with Orthodox institutions linked to Russia after the war began.
In October, the Ukrainian parliament voted to ban the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), accusing its members of collaborating with Russia.
