Moscow Patriarch and presumed former KGB agent Patriarch Cyril I has appointed a Russian war chaplain to the war in Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church sends clergy to the front to, among other things, put the soldiers in a combative mood. Particularly absurd: a video is circulating online showing a Russian priest with a rocket launcher. Shooting, he prays for victory and cries, “God is risen!”
The press service of the Russian Orthodox Church reported that Archpriest Dmitry Vasilenkov, who had already fought in Georgia and Chechnya, has been appointed chief of the war. According to the statement, he will be responsible for the spiritual care of Russian troops in the combat zone in Ukraine.
The news portal “The Insider” states that it is not the first war in which the cleric “personally participates”. For example, during the 2008 war he traveled to South Ossetia and fought in Chechnya. In all, since 2006, he is said to have completed more than 20 “duties” in war zones, blessing more than 900 members of the armed forces.
Vasilenkov can be seen in the tweets. The white letters on the military equipment mean something like: “God is with us.” The “Z” is considered a symbol of support for an aggressive war and is therefore a criminal offense in several countries outside Russia.
Church “fights against NATO”
Since the beginning of the “special military operation”, as Moscow calls the war, at least three clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church have reportedly been killed in Ukraine. A video of the ‘work’ of Russian cleric Pavel Kunitsyn is doing the rounds on the internet. In the photos, he can be seen firing from a rocket launcher and announcing: “Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary are fighting NATO. Christ is risen.”
Patriarch as part of the war machine
In the summer of 2022, it became known that the Russian Orthodox Church had reintroduced the office of high priest of the military and naval clergy, abolished in 1918. Patriarch Cyril I supports the Russian offensive war and is thus part of the Russian war propaganda. The preacher often mentions the invasion in his sermons and gives the – pretended – reasons. One of the arguments is that the war was provoked by outside forces to weaken Russia.
In the spring of 2022, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared its independence from the Moscow Patriarchate due to the post of head of the Russian Orthodox Church. In addition, Kiev demanded that Patriarch Cyril I be brought before the ecclesiastical court.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
