Eugene Czolij
Kyiv Post
The Russian Orthodox Church has thrown down the gauntlet, explicitly asserting Russia’s imperial mission. The West can either dismiss Church’s call as madness or recognize it as Putin’s ambition.
The World Russian People’s Council, chaired by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, proclaimed in Moscow on March 27, 2024 an “order” containing several heresies, including that Russia’s bloody military invasion of Ukraine is somehow a “holy war” and that “the entire territory of present-day Ukraine should be included in the area of Russia’s exclusive influence.” This leaves no room for negotiations unless Ukraine abdicates its right to exist.