The Czech Republic has placed a first person on its own national sanctions list: the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Cyril. The reason is his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyrill is considered a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Czech government’s decision means that Russian clerics are not allowed to enter the Czech Republic. Furthermore, Kyrill is not allowed to carry out any financial transactions in the Czech Republic and must also expect any property in the Czech Republic to be frozen.
According to Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, it is easy to find evidence of public appearances in which Cyril supports the war in Ukraine and justifies the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers. In any case, any listing on the sanctions list must be fully documented, Lipavsky said.
The Czech Republic established its own sanctions list with a special law that came into force at the beginning of the year. The EU refrained from taking punitive measures against the head of the church because of Hungary’s resistance.