The new Hungarian government has declared its readiness to support European Union sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and other individuals who had been protected by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Euronews reported this, citing its own sources.
According to officials, a “mini-package” of sanctions is already being prepared.
EU ambassadors are expected to discuss sanctions this week targeting around ten individuals who had previously been shielded by Viktor Orban’s government.
The EU first attempted to place Kirill on its blacklist in 2022, accusing him of supporting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and spreading revisionist propaganda. However, Hungary under Orban blocked the move, calling it “a matter of religious freedom.”
Brussels hopes that Orban’s successor, Peter Magyar, will now allow the decision to pass. Magyar is seeking to distance himself from Orban’s notorious use of veto power.
Sanctions are adopted unanimously, and the list of proposed names may change as negotiations progress.
In addition, a separate proposal is being developed to target several vessels of the “shadow fleet” that Russia uses to circumvent Western restrictions on oil sales.
The 21st package of economic sanctions is expected to be presented in June, with final approval anticipated by 15 July.
Earlier, we reported that Brussels was preparing another package of sanctions against Russia, which could in particular target senior members of the Russian Orthodox Church and its primate, a close ally of Putin. According to Politico, officials see an opportunity to move forward with sanctions previously blocked by Viktor Orban’s government, when he served as Hungary’s prime minister.
As LF previously reported, the Kremlin has been 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 at the Institute for the Study of War.
Earlier, we reported that the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, praised the efforts of Moscow Patriarch Kirill aimed at supporting participants in the “special military operation.”
According to information from LF, in November 2025 Patriarch Kirill Gundyayev stated that military heroism is “inseparable” from spiritual heroism and that participation in war may 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, Doctor of Theology and researcher of Eastern Christianity and ecumenism at University of Münster, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the key institutions of mobilisation and propaganda.
Earlier, we reported that Pope Leo XIV and Bartholomew I condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence.
