Bulgaria has stated that it will not support the new, 21st package of European Union sanctions against Russia because it includes the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.

Two EU diplomats familiar with the course of the discussions told a correspondent of European Pravda in Brussels on condition of anonymity.

The new EU sanctions package against Russia was discussed by EU ambassadors last week, and during those talks Bulgaria expressed its opposition to adding Russian Patriarch Kirill to the sanctions list, viewing such a move as interference in religious affairs.

Earlier, we wrote that Brussels is preparing another package of sanctions against Russia which could, among other measures, 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 that had previously been blocked by the government of Viktor Orbán, the former Prime Minister of Hungary.

As LF reported, Hungary’s new government has declared its readiness to support European Union sanctions against Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and other individuals who had been protected by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The 21st package of economic sanctions is expected to be presented in June, with final approval anticipated by 15 July.

According to religious affairs expert Aleksandr Soldatov, although the EU leadership has not officially announced the inclusion of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 21st sanctions package, reports in leading media outlets have caused concern for the 79-year-old patriarch.

As LF reported, the name of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has been included in the draft of the new EU sanctions package. The official list of individuals targeted for restrictions has not been published, but three diplomats confirmed to Euronews that Kirill is on the list. In the EU, the patriarch is accused of spreading revisionist propaganda intended to justify the war in Ukraine.

According to LF, the European Union has added Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea (Shevkunov) to its sanctions list. This is stated in a decision of the Council of the European Union. Shevkunov is often described as “Putin’s confessor” and a likely successor to Kirill.