Russian clerics defend Ukraine war as 'spiritual battle'

Many of the reports disseminated by Russian media and authorities are likely not true. Such reports may be part of an information warfare effort by the Russian Federation.

"Every normal guy who loves his country would want to be on the front line in Ukraine because that is where the nation's fate is decided," quotes the "Moscow Times," citing Metropolitan Yevgeny Kulberg of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.

The words of the Russian Orthodox Church representative were spoken during the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the liberation of Sudzha in the Kursk region. As the media adds, such displays are created because not every boy can participate in the war.

In Yekaterinburg, next to the Church on the Blood, a model of a pipe was installed, through which Russian soldiers were to penetrate the Ukrainian army's rear, reports the "Moscow Times." The Metropolitan compared this installation to the tank monuments from World War II, and the pipe itself to David's sling.

Kulberg, in line with Patriarch Kirill's stance, has repeatedly supported the war efforts, emphasizing the need for a spiritual victory over the enemy.

Patriarch Kirill himself, in his book, has called for the mobilization of the church alongside Russia's military and political forces. He also urged prayers for President Vladimir Putin and the soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Kirill assured that Russia is a peace-loving country, although he admitted that humanity cannot live without wars.

According to this leading Orthodox cleric, the war in Ukraine is holy because Russia is protecting the world from the onset of globalization and the victory of the West, which he believes has fallen into Satanism.