Patriarch Kirill says invaders in Ukraine "protect Russia on the battlefield"

He said this while in Penza after the consecration of the Holy Savior Cathedral, reports Ukrayinska Pravda citing Radio Liberty.

"Our young men are now defending Russia on the battlefield," the head of the Moscow Patriarchate said.

According to Kirill, the Russian military in Ukraine is driven by an internal moral feeling based on the Orthodox faith.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church said that priests who "deal" with the Russian military allegedly tell him about numerous examples of courage and self-sacrifice among them. Kirill believes that this is "not due to high salary" but comes from a "developed moral sense".

He also expressed the opinion that the Western world is now experiencing a "decline in faith", and new churches are constantly opening in Russia, which he called "a miracle of God". According to Kirill, churches are being built "to the horror of the Western world."

Russian Patriarch Kirill has supported a full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine from the very beginning. So, earlier, he stated that young Russians "perform a feat" in Ukraine and later lied that "Russia has never attacked anyone."