UK imposes sanctions against Patriarch Kirill for his support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The Russian Orthodox Church calls these sanctions "absurd"

The Government of the United Kingdom announced on Thursday the imposition of sanctions against Kirill, the highest representative of the Orthodox Church in Russia, for his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The British Foreign Office has indicated that the religious has shown "significant support for Russia's aggression" against Ukrainian territory and has stated that this latest series of sanctions is aimed at those who "facilitate the war" of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and that "so much suffering has brought Ukraine".

In this sense, the British Foreign Minister, Liz Truss, has indicated that the list includes those who have participated in the "forced transfer and illegal adoption of minors" Ukrainians, who have received "barbaric treatment".

"We will not tire of defending democracy and freedom, and we will continue to pressure Putin until Ukraine succeeds. Putin's allies continue to look the other way in the face of war crimes," he said.

The potential inclusion of the patriarch on the sanctioned list was recently the subject of debate within the EU, which finally chose to park the initial proposal of the European Commission due to the reluctance of Hungary, which denies any type of punishment against religious leaders. .

For its part, the Russian Orthodox Church has called the sanctions against the patriarch "absurd" and has stated that "attempts to intimidate him or make him give up his opinions are meaningless and pointless."

The spokesman for the Orthodox Church, Vladimir Legoida, has indicated in a Telegram message that the measures "only contribute to breaking the communication, already strongly affected, of the European community with Russia."

In addition, he lamented that the objective is "to intensify the conflict and drive away peace" through the "destruction of the Church as a necessary means of communication."