Russian Orthodox Church’s Stance Alongside Putin

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church and spiritual leader of “Vladimir Putin” has stood by him in the war against Ukraine.

The “Al Jazeera” website reported in an analytical report on behind-the-scenes events at the Russian Orthodox Church, writing: “A masked soldier, uniformed and armed with a rifle, bears the letter Z on his shoulder, which is the Kremlin-approved symbol for Russia’s attack on Ukraine, while Jesus Christ, depicted as weak and devoid of aggression, stands directly behind him.”

According to Al Jazeera reports, both images displayed on a billboard are inscribed with: “Christ conquered hell and Russia will do the same.” The image in question has been installed in public space in central Moscow and encourages Russian men to enlist to participate in the war.

“Patriarch Kirill,” head of the world’s largest Orthodox Christian church, which includes believers in former Soviet countries and migrants, has defended the Kremlin’s right to start the war and declared his support will continue. In February 2022, just days after the war began, he said: “Russia has the right to stand alongside God’s light and truth.”

Patriarch Kirill also noted in April of last year: “The goal of the West was to deceive us with empty hands and without any war, to make us part of their world and saturate us with Western values.” He also promised eternal salvation to Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine.

The Kremlin, which persecutes any Christian denomination, has transformed the Russian Orthodox Church into a kind of moral police that sanctifies the persecution of ideological and political enemies. “Sergei Bizyukin,” a fugitive opposition activist, believes that the Kremlin needs the ideological support of this church and grants it privileges such as real estate, state budget, and pressure on competitors.

“Nikolai Mitrokhin,” an expert on Russian studies and member of the University of Bremen in Germany, said about this support: “The Russian Orthodox Church’s participation in the war means losing its global character and influence, and reducing its borders to the boundaries of Putin’s political empire. Supporting Putin’s war directly leads to strengthening Kirill’s short-term influence and increasing the number of autonomous churches.”