Russia will use the Church to legitimize the war against Ukraine, - Poland's special service
This was announced by the coordinator of Poland's special services Stanislav Zaryn.
"Kirill has been a functionary of the Russian regime for many years; he is a man of power with a very important function for the regime. Kirill's actions are an attempt to use religious manipulation to consolidate society, an attempt to portray Russian aggressive imperialism as a struggle between good and evil, and an attempt to distort the image of Russia, which is presented by as a refuge of moral values.
Symptomatically, the Russian Orthodox Church has recently publicized letters from patriarchs from various countries, which have been used to suggest that Orthodox communities outside Russia support Russian actions against Ukraine.
It is to be expected that the Orthodox Church can be used internationally to legitimize the war and also to polarize and radicalize the Western societies in which the Church operates. This is the typical modus operandi used for hybrid attacks against Western countries," wrote Stanislav Zaryn.