Patriarch Kirill of Moscow sent congratulations to the heads of Russian occupation administrations in the occupied territories of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions on the occasion of the “Day of Reunification with the Russian Federation.” On September 30, 2022, Russia declared the annexation of these four partially occupied regions of Ukraine.

The official Russian Orthodox Church website published the texts of the messages to the heads of the occupation administrations, who have been convicted in Ukraine of high treason and other crimes.

In particular, Kirill writes to Pushilin, head of the so-called “DPR,” about the importance of “consolidating the authorities, the military and the people around the enduring ideals of love for the Motherland.”

He thanks Pasechnik, head of the “LPR,” for “supporting the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and affirming enduring moral values in people’s minds.”

And he wishes Saldo, the “governor” of the Kherson Region, “the advent of long-awaited peace in the long-suffering land of Kherson.”

Earlier, we reported that the ideology preached by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill is very close to classical fascism. This assessment was made by Kirill Govorun, an archimandrite of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, theologian and publicist.

It was also reported earlier that the Moscow Patriarchate’s publishing house released a new book by Russian Orthodox Church head Kirill (Gundyayev), War: Beyond Visible Causes and Consequences. In it, the Moscow patriarch speaks of the “historical duty of Russians to be victors” and, in particular, justifies the aggression against Ukraine.

According to Regina Elsner, a researcher of Eastern Christianity and ecumenism at the University of Münster and a doctor of theology, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the key institutions of mobilization and propaganda.

Earlier, we reported that Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence.

LF Commentary:
For LF, I would add a brief editorial comment linking Kirill’s congratulations to the situation of religious communities in the occupied territories without overloading the news report with evaluative language:

It is worth noting that Patriarch Kirill’s words about “enduring moral values” and “long-awaited peace” come against the backdrop of religious persecution in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Following the establishment of Russian control, religious communities there have faced compulsory re-registration under Russian law, restrictions on their activities, and the seizure of churches and other religious property. Clergy and believers have been subjected to detention and pressure. Religious organizations that the Russian authorities regard as disloyal or that do not fit into the system of control they have imposed on religious life have been particularly vulnerable.