Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) of Moscow sent a greeting address to the leaders of the Russian occupation administrations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine “on the occasion of the day of reunification with the Russian Federation.” The appeal, which appeared on the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church, is another step in the spiritual support of Russian aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Among the addressees are the leaders of the occupation authorities: Denis Pushilin (Donetsk region), Leonid Pasichnik (Luhansk region), Yevgeny Balitsky (Zaporizhzhia region) and Vladimir Saldo (Kherson region). It is worth noting that the date of “reunification” symbolizes Putin’s signing on September 30, 2022, of the documents on the illegal occupation of these Ukrainian regions by Russia.
Context and consequences of religious propaganda
Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church, led by Kirill, has played an important role in forming the ideological basis for justifying the war. Kirill repeatedly blessed Russian soldiers to kill Ukrainians, referring to this act of aggression as “holy war” for the restoration of the “Russian world” and “Holy Russia” – a neo-empire that is supposed to consist of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. His rhetoric about the “unity” of fraternal nations actually covers spiritual support for the Kremlin’s imperial policy, where the Church serves as an instrument of state propaganda.
Approving the actions of puppet leaders in the occupied territories is an attempt to spiritually consolidate, sacralize (“sanctify”) the occupation. The Russian Orthodox Church is trying to create the illusion of a “moral” justification for the annexation and subsequent violence by appealing to the religious sentiments of the population and using the Church to legitimize Russian invasion.
