Russian cleric Patriarch Kirill put on Czech national sanctions list over Ukraine

The Czech government on Wednesday put Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on its national sanctions list due to his full support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said. The Russian priest is the first person to be put on the sanctions list following the war in Ukraine.

Kirill, 76, was listed by his civil name of Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev on the sanctions roster, which is posted on the Czech Foreign Ministry’s website. His inclusion means he is barred from entry to the Czech Republic, a European Union and NATO member country, and banned from any financial transactions with Czechs.

“His frequent public remarks supporting the war in Ukraine, justifying atrocities committed by Russian troops there, those are all clear evidence that can be publicly found,” Lipavsky told a televised news conference.

Known to be a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Patriarch Kirill has strongly backed the war in Ukraine, in which thousands of civilians have been killed and millions have been driven from their homes. Russia denies accusations of war crimes in Ukraine.

The 27-nation European Union as a whole tried to put Kirill on its sanctions list last year but member states failed to find unanimity on the issue as Hungary opposed his inclusion.

On Tuesday, Kirill called Russians who fail to serve their country as “internal enemies” and described patriotism as the “greatest virtue”, the RIA state news agency reported.

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