The Ukrainian officials put the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, on a “wanted list.”
Last month, Ukraine’s SBU security service published a document saying Patriarch Kirill “infringed Ukrainian sovereignty” by virtue of his position as “part of the closest entourage of Russia’s military and political leadership.”
Patriarch Kirill condemned these practices and called on clergy leaders around the world to stop Ukraine’s actions against the church.
In Ukraine, Orthodox Christianity is the dominant faith in the country. However, since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine last year, Kyiv authorities have opened criminal cases against clerics associated with a branch of the Orthodox Church. Priests and officials consequently associated with the Moscow-affiliated branch of the church are now under suspicion as security forces have opened dozens of criminal cases, including treason.
Kyiv’s parliament is considering a bill to ban the branch of the church, which has lost many of its parishioners since the conflict began. The church says it severed all ties with Moscow in May 2022.
