SSU serves notice of suspicion to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who blessed Russians to kill Ukrainians

The Security Service of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion to Patriarch Vladimir Gundyaev (Kirill) of the Russian Orthodox Church. The offender supported Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine and "blessed" the occupiers to kill Ukrainians.

The patriarch is a member of the inner circle of the highest military and political leadership of the Russian aggressor country. He uses the religious communities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and representatives of the UOC-MP in Ukraine under his control. This was reported by the SSU press service.

The investigation found that the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church was one of the first to publicly support a full-scale war against Ukraine. He also regularly spreads Kremlin narratives in the form of online sermons or his own video comments.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers have documented that in March 2022, an article about the liturgy was published on the ROC website, where Patriarch Kirill "blessed" Russian Russian Guard Commander Viktor Zolotov for the war against Ukraine. In addition, in February 2023, Gundyaev justified the occupation of eastern Ukraine.

The Security Service said that the Russian Orthodox Church patriarch had repeatedly given comments to Kremlin propagandists. He publicly supported the Kremlin's aggressive policy and called on believers to unite in the war against Ukraine on Russian TV.

Based on the collected evidence, Gundyaev was served a notice of suspicion under the following articles: Part 3 of Art. 110 (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine); Part 3 of Art. 436-2 (justification, recognition of the legitimacy, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants); Part 5 of Art. 27 and Part 2 of Art. 437 (planning, preparation, initiation and conduct of an aggressive war).

Comprehensive measures to bring the offender to justice for crimes against Ukraine are underway.

As a reminder, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who justifies Russia's aggression against Ukraine, called on clergy to give up "annoying luxury." He himself has repeatedly been the subject of journalistic investigations into his wealth.

Earlier, it was reported that the Moscow City Diocesan Court of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) defrocked the clergyman of the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called, Priest John Koval. The reason for this decision was that he prayed not for the victory of the aggressor country Russia in the war against Ukraine, as ordered, but for peace.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Security Service of Ukraine said that they had exposed the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on the creation of "Orthodox" private military companies for the war in Ukraine. These PMCs recruit parishioners and provide combat training for mercenaries.

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