May 20, 2026 | The National Interest
Why the EU Should Sanction Russia’s Patriarch
The Russian Orthodox Church’s sanctification of Russia’s war on Ukraine has met with little retort from Europe.
May 20, 2026 | The National Interest
Why the EU Should Sanction Russia’s Patriarch
The Russian Orthodox Church’s sanctification of Russia’s war on Ukraine has met with little retort from Europe.
Excerpt
As the European Union prepares a major sanctions package against Russian financial institutions, illicit oil trade, and military companies, a seemingly unrelated figure is also reportedly being considered: Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) leader Patriarch Kirill.
The EU attempted to impose sanctions on the Patriarch in 2022, but former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoed the measure. While targeting a church leader for sanctions is an extraordinary measure, Kirill should be held accountable for serving as an apologist and propagandist for the Kremlin.
Kirill has told Russian soldiers that death in combat “washes away all sins,” turning battlefield sacrifice into spiritual redemption. He has supported Russia’s mobilization against Ukraine and cast the war as a civilizational clash with the West. As Russian morale has declined over years of grinding war with little progress, the ROC is actively involved in bolstering troop morale, now crucial to the war effort.
The fact is that the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is an active participant in the Kremlin’s vicious war against Ukraine. Just as the United States and its allies sanction oligarchs and companies complicit in Putin’s aggression and atrocities, Kirill and the ROC should be viewed in a similar light.
Dr. Ivana Stradner serves as a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)’s Barish Center for Media Integrity. Samuel Ben-Ur is a research analyst at FDD focusing on the Middle East.