The United Kingdom on Thursday (June 16th) sanctioned Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, as part of a new round of retaliatory measures in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: this sermon by Patriarch Kirill celebrating Vladimir Putin’s “holy war”
The 75-year-old religious leader, whom the European Union recently withdrew from blacklisting, “is sanctioned for supporting Putin’s war“, explained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release. These measures, which include a ban on entering British territory and the freezing of assets in the United Kingdom, also target Maria Lvova-Belova, mediator for children’s rights at the Kremlin, because of “forced adoption and transfer of Ukrainian children“.
accomplices in war crimes
Also targeted are leaders in the transport sector and soldiers accused of havingkilled, raped and tortured civiliansin Boutcha, near kyiv. “We target the accomplices and perpetrators of Putin’s war who are inflicting untold suffering on Ukraine, including the forced transfer and adoption of childrensaid Foreign Minister Liz Truss in a statement.
Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox since 2009, put his Church at the service of Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “miracle», sharing his ambition for a conservative, dominating Russia and supporting the offensive in Ukraine. The European Commission had proposed to sanction it but the EU gave up because of the opposition of Hungary.
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