Apparently, Kiev wants to hold Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I responsible for crimes against Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian secret service SBU, the leader of the Moscow church has been officially informed that he has been accused of several crimes.
Among other things, Kyrill is accused of being a member of Russia’s highest military and political leadership and of being one of the first to publicly support the campaign against Ukraine.
Report: Evidence collected for criminal proceedings
According to the information, the secret service and the Public Prosecutor’s Office collected numerous pieces of evidence for criminal proceedings. The church blessed the head of the Russian National Guard, Viktor Solotov, in March 2022 “for the war against Ukraine.”
Cyril I gave Solotov an icon of the Virgin Mary in the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. National Guard troops participate in the invasion of Ukraine. The patriarch uses the Russian Orthodox Church and also the Ukrainian Orthodox clergy to spread his propaganda against Kiev, according to the SBU.
According to Ukrainian law, the judiciary must notify a person in writing that he or she is suspected of committing a crime if there is sufficient evidence. Authorities accuse Kyrill of, among other things, the crimes of launching and waging a war of aggression.