Patriarch Kirill, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church
Patriarch Kirill/Russian Orthodox Church website
Patriarch Kirill (real name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev) has been the Patriarch of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, since February 1, 2009.
He supported Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine and claimed that the aggressor country, Russia, had “justly started a war” against the Ukrainian state. He publicly expressed his support for the decision of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a few weeks after the Russian invasion.
The Patriarch systematically publicly expressed narratives beneficial to the Kremlin and praised Putin and his decisions.
When Putin announced the so-called “partial” mobilisation in the Russian Federation on September 21, 2022, Patriarch Kirill supported the decision during his sermons and called on Russians to go to war and “give their lives for the homeland.” He actually “traded” in the forgiveness of sins: he emphasised that all Russian servicemen who would die during hostilities in Ukraine would thus “sacrifice themselves for the sake of others” and “receive absolution for their sins.”
In his later sermon, which he delivered after the consecration of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Diveyevo Monastery on October 23, 2022, Patriarch Kirill stated that they “want to wipe Russia off the face of the earth” and that the aggressor country had allegedly entered into hostilities “not of its own free will.” He called for prayers for the Russian authorities, the military, and the president, as well as for Russia to “win the war.”
*The material was created in cooperation with the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Main statements
1. He called Ukrainians and Russians fraternal peoples who share common values (March 20, 2022)
2. He stated that the external interference prompted the war (May 17, 2022)
Patriarch Kirill spoke at the 10th Parliamentary Meetings in the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on May 17, 2022.
During his speech, he stated that the intervention of external political forces had led to Russia’s alleged full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to him, the war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation allegedly arose due to propaganda, aggression and lies from Western countries. At the same time, he calls Ukrainians and Russians fraternal peoples.
3. He stated about the oppression of Russian speakers in Ukraine (May 17, 2022)
Patriarch Kirill stated that Russian speakers were allegedly oppressed in Ukraine. According to him, Ukrainian politicians and the media are calling for such oppression.
4. He declared that the Russian Federation will restore peace in the occupied territories of Ukraine (May 17, 2022)
Patriarch Kirill said that Russia had to “restore peaceful life” in the territories that it had already managed to occupy. And this peace should supposedly be based on “unity between the Ukrainian and Russian peoples.”
5. He called Russia’s war against Ukraine a “fight between good and cosmic evil” (September 1, 2022)
He believes that the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine was a “fight between good and cosmic evil.” According to him, many people allegedly do not see where is good and where is evil because of “propaganda forces that work for the whole world.” He stated that Russia had a special mission because it was “one of the few who call evil evil and good good.”
6. He said that Ukraine was being turned against Russia (September 21, 2022)
7. He called on the Russian occupiers to go to war and not be afraid to die for their homeland (September 22, 2022)
8. He supported mobilisation in the Russian Federation, called on the occupiers to go fight in Ukraine and not be afraid of death (September 25, 2022)
After Putin announced partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation, Patriarch Kirill called on the mobilised occupiers to go and fight against the Ukrainians. He glorifies those invaders who died in the war because they allegedly “sacrificed themselves for the sake of others.” In the event of death on the battlefield, he promised absolution to the occupiers. He calls Ukrainians and Russians “fraternal peoples.”
9. He called to pray for Putin’s health (October 6, 2022)
10. He accused other countries of wanting to destroy Russia and inciting war (October 23, 2022)
Patriarch Kirill accused other countries of “wanting to wipe Russia off the face of the Earth.” He said that Russia allegedly had entered this war “not of its own free will.”
