Brussels is preparing another package of sanctions against Russia that could, in particular, target senior members of the Russian Orthodox Church and its head, a close ally of Putin.
This was reported by Politico, citing EU officials and diplomats.
According to the publication, officials see an opportunity to move forward with sanctions that were previously blocked by the government of Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary. Among them are measures directed against senior members of the Russian Orthodox Church, including its leader, Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin who welcomed the invasion of Ukraine.
Following the elections in Hungary, there is renewed momentum for sanctions, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists after a recent meeting of ministers in Luxembourg.
“We should revisit sanctions that were already discussed but not agreed upon earlier, and also move forward with a new package of sanctions,” she stressed.
Kallas will also present sanctions targeting Russian citizens involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children.
The 21st package of sanctions, which is likely to be introduced in late June or early July, is also expected to target Russian banks, financial institutions, and military industrial companies, as well as firms selling stolen Ukrainian grain.
As LF previously reported, the Kremlin is attempting to justify the prolonged war against Ukraine by using long standing false narratives claiming that “the Ukrainian government suppresses religious freedoms.” This was stated in a report by analysts from the Institute for the Study of War.
Earlier, we reported that Russian Federation leader Vladimir Putin praised the efforts of Moscow Patriarch Kirill aimed at supporting participants in the “special military operation.”
According to LF, in November 2025 Patriarch Kirill Gundyayev stated that military heroism is “inseparable” from spiritual heroism and that participation in war can be regarded as a form of Christian service. This attempt to justify the war through spiritual rhetoric provoked an immediate and sharp reaction within church circles.
According to Regina Elsner, a researcher of Eastern Christianity and ecumenism at University of Münster, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the key institutions of mobilization and propaganda.
Earlier, we reported that Pope Leo XIV and Bartholomew I condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence.
