HOW THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH SUPPORTS THE KREMLIN’S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE - Join the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center for a discussion on the Russian Orthodox Church’s role in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate’s full support of the war has been evident since 2014; the 2022 full-scale invasion only intensified this support.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a “partial mobilization” of soldiers in the fall of 2022, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, said Russian soldiers who died fighting in Ukraine would be forgiven for all their sins. The Church also called Russia’s invasion a “Holy War,” while also advancing the Kremlin’s interests across Russian society.

This discussion, held in partnership with the Free Russia Foundation, will analyze the church’s role in the war effort and Western conceptions of the Moscow Patriarchate.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 09/17/2025