Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church has once again supported the Russian invaders. This time he blessed the paratroopers who are going to the front to kill Ukrainians.
After the service on the Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, Kirill blessed the invaders and handed out icons to them, calling the invaders "defenders of the homeland." This is reported by TSN, citing a Russian propaganda media outlet.
"Take these icons with you wherever you go, and may the Savior protect you from all evil. Brothers, you are now going to a place where it is especially important to be in order to defend your homeland. I would like you to think about this and fight for it. This is not about solving any local political problems, not about any geopolitical balances, but about the most important thing - the defense of the homeland. I wish you all courage, strength, wisdom," Kirill said.
The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church also announced the launch of the All-Russian Prayer for Victory campaign. The campaign will run from May to September 2023. During this time, the ark with a part of the relics of St. George will be transported throughout Russia. It is noted that the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church will be able to "pray for the successful completion of the 'World War II'."
In addition, Kirill once again supported the "cult of victory" spread by Russian propagandists and told Russians a distorted history of the events of World War II. In particular, Kirill stated that in 1945, the USSR defeated not only Germany but "the whole of Europe, which was under the heel of Germany."
According to the church propagandist, "the enemy is again arming itself against holy Russia."
"Today, Russia (apparently, this is what Kirill calls the Russian Federation - Ed.) has become a powerful, militarily invincible state, but there are still those abroad who dream of taking over our country by force. We believe that this will never happen because God is with us. And God will be with us as long as we ... attract the power of God, including to protect the country from enemies," he said.
It should be noted that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, regularly supports the occupiers who are going to kill Ukrainians or have already returned from the war. Earlier, he said that Russian mobilized soldiers who died in Ukraine would go to heaven.