Ukraine’s Religious Persecution Continues as Russian Church Leader Placed on 'Wanted' List

Critics say the Ukrainian regime targets its detractors internationally via intimidation tactics.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry angered parishioners Friday when it announced it was placing the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on a “wanted” list for his criticism of the Kiev regime.

A post on the ministry’s website described Patriarch Kirill as “an individual in hiding from the bodies of pre-trial investigation” and characterized him as “missing” since November 11. Criminal authorities in Ukraine have no jurisdiction over individuals in Russia or elsewhere outside the country’s borders, making the ministry’s announcement symbolic.

The move is an escalation from last month when Ukraine's security service accused Kirill of “infringing Ukrainian sovereignty” and called him “part of the closest entourage of Russia's military and political leadership.”

Vladimir Legoyda, a senior official of the Russian Orthodox Church, called the development “a step that is as ridiculous as it is predictable” and accused the Ukrainian government of “lawlessness and attempting to intimidate parishioners.”

“All that can be imputed to the patriarch of the Russian Church is a faithful and consistent position in defense of the canonical Church in Ukraine,” wrote Legoyda in a post on his Telegram channel. “Condemning and denouncing the schism provoked by the Phanar is something that the patriarch is obliged to do by virtue of his duty before God and people,” he stressed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promoted an alternate Eastern Orthodox organization known as the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” as the religious body for Orthodox Christians in the country.

Ukrainian authorities have targeted prominent figures of the Russian Orthodox Church with dozens of criminal charges since Russia launched its special military operation in eastern Ukraine in 2022, which the church has defended. Some have been charged with treason. Kiev’s parliament has even considered banning the Ukrainian branch of the church entirely.

Patriarch Kirill has previously denounced Ukrainian authorities’ moves against religious leaders and has encouraged clerical figures around the world to stand against the religious persecution.

The addition of Kirill to the list represents a tactic that critics say is frequently employed to intimidate critics of Zelensky’s regime worldwide. A separate online “kill list” is maintained by figures with links to Ukrainian parliamentarians and includes journalists, Pink Floyd member Roger Waters, and 13-year-old social activist Faina Savenkova. Figures on the list who have died are marked with the label “eliminated.”