Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev), head of the Russian Orthodox Church, once again supported Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and tried to justify it with protecting the “interests of Donbas.”
On February 26, at a meeting with children who had been taken to Moscow from the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Kirill approved the occupation of Luhansk and Donetsk regions by Russian troops, and stated that this was supposedly “Russian land” which had “stupidly” ended up beyond the borders of the Russian Federation. Gundyaev also convinced the children that the unity of Donbas and Russia is a “sacred reality,” and that today’s Donbas is an “outpost of the Russian world,” reports the press service of the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Donbas allegedly ended up outside the Russian border due to the stupidity, betrayal, and recklessness of the authorities, not because of Ukraine declaring independence.
“Donbas is a Russian land, everyone knows that. Due to the imprudence of state authorities, due to stupidity or treason, this land ended up outside the borders of Russia – despite the fact that the absolute majority of people speak Russian, the absolute majority identify themselves with the Russian people. Throughout history, many people have defended Russia, in particular up in arms – it is enough to recall the wonderful, albeit tragic pages of the Great Patriotic War, when Donbas stood up for the defense of the entire country. And suddenly someone decided to tear all this from our historical memory, to reformat our national consciousness, to prove to the people of Donbas that they are not Russians and that they have nothing to do with Russia at all,” assured Kirill (Gundyaev).
He also praised Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, arguing that it was “the protection of the interests of Donbas”, and also supported the Kremlin’s myths on Ukraine’s attack on Russia, which was allegedly being plotted.
“It’s wonderful that Russia stood up to protect the interests of Donbas and prevented the plans of our adversaries from coming to fruition,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
At the same time, he called on the youths of Donbas to continue the “heroic tradition” of defending their Motherland.
In this way, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church “blesses and glorifies” the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its occupation by Russian troops. In addition, Kirill believes that it is possible to kill Ukrainians and seize Donetsk and Luhansk regions, because the majority there speak Russian and allegedly identify themselves with the Russian people.
Of course, Gundyaev does not mention the sinfulness of the war of aggression, or at least international law, or Constitution of Ukraine. At the same time, he is not going to stop in his support of the Kremlin’s plans to destroy Ukraine, despite the sanctions imposed on him by a number of nations. Australia and New Zealand were the latest to impose sanctions on Kirill.
In general, the statements of the Patriarch of Moscow contain clearly expressed support for the policies of the Putin regime, which can be perceived as propaganda promoting Russia’s crimes. Patriarch Kirill’s statements are not only unprofessional, but also unacceptable for a spiritual leader – a patriarch. He uses his patriarchy to spread the Kremlin’s false narratives, which are contrary to international law and generally accepted international norms.
In particular, the statement that the unity of Donbas and Russia is a “sacred reality” can be seen as support for the annexation of Crimea and a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, Gundyaev’s call to the youths of Donbas to continue the “heroic tradition” of defending their Motherland can be seen as support for the war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia is trying to brainwash people from an early age so that no one doubts the feasibility of attacking Ukraine.
Taking into account that Kirill is a patriarch, he should stand up for the truth, and not cover up lies and spread them in the minds of the youths. Worst of all, because of his lies, people die every day, fooled by Kirill on the one hand and killed by the Russian army on the other, which already goes beyond the scope of politics and goes into the realm of supporting murder and violence, theft and lies.
