The head of the Russian Orthodox Church today called on the Russians to rally around the authorities, as Moscow continues its military intervention in Ukraine.
Patriarch Cyril has made statements of support in the past Moscow actions in Ukraine and believes that war is a wall against Western liberal culture, which he considers declining.
“May the Lord help us to unite in these difficult times for our country, and around the authorities,” 75-year-old Cyril said during a service in Moscow, as reported by the Interfax news agency.
“I wish the authorities were full of responsibility for their people, humility and readiness to serve them even if it cost them their lives,” added the patriarch, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.
Cyril said that if the population gathers around the authorities “there will be genuine solidarity and the ability to repel enemies, external and internal …”.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a special military operation to downgrade its neighbor’s military capability and eradicate what it calls dangerous nationalists.
Ukrainian forces put up strong resistance and the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in a bid to force it to withdraw its forces.
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