Ukraine announced today that it is opening criminal proceedings against Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, for “justifying” the Russian invasion of its territory.

Patriarch Kirill, a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin, called Russia’s offensive against Ukraine a battle against the “forces of evil”.

Ukrainian authorities said in a statement that they had “gathered evidence against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Gudiaev (known as Kirill).”

He is “a member of the inner circle of senior military and political leaders in Russia and (…) one of the first to publicly support the war against Ukraine.”

Cyril undermined Ukraine’s territorial integrity by justifying the armed attack, according to Ukrainian authorities.

“Steps will be taken to bring him to justice for the crimes committed against our state,” they added.

Ukraine, a predominantly Orthodox country, severed ties with Orthodox institutions linked to Russia after the war began.

In October, the Ukrainian parliament voted to ban the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), accusing its members of collaborating with Russia.

Once the most popular in Ukraine, this Church has been losing believers over the years as Ukrainian national sentiment has gained popularity against former power Russia.

This process was accelerated by the creation in 2018 of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church independent of Moscow.