Czech Republic imposes sanctions on Russia’s Patriarch Kirill

This is reported by České noviny. 

The Czech government imposed sanctions on Patriarch Kirill for his support of the Russian war against Ukraine. 

"It is true that in order to include any organisation in the sanctions list, we must have a carefully documented activity that he or she violates or threatens the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence, in this case of Ukraine," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said. 

According to the Foreign Minister, it is easy to find evidence of Kirill's public speeches that "support the war in Ukraine and justify the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers." 

He added that Vladimir Gundyaev (the name of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church at birth) is on the sanctions lists of the United Kingdom, Canada, Lithuania, and Ukraine.

According to documents from the Czech Foreign Ministry, Patriarch Kirill is a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his actions actively support Russian aggression in Ukraine. "In particular, he uses his important position as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and provides a religious justification and explanation for Russian aggression in his sermons and public speeches," the Czech Foreign Ministry said. 

• On March 22, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew called the Russian Orthodox Church responsible for Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.