Moscow Patriarch Kirill accused the West of "hating" Russia because it represents "an alternative path of civilizational development." He made the comments during the celebration of the Christmas Mass on Jan.

Russia's invasion, which began in February 2022, has also been a source of religious controversy within the Eastern Orthodox Church and has driven a split among believers in both Russia and Ukraine. V

Patriarch Kirill, leader of Russia's Orthodox Church, alongside President Putin, criticized the Western world for despising Russia’s alternative development path. Kirill, a supporter of Russia's Ukraine invasion,

According to Reuters, Krill also used his ritual speech in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral to claim: “Physically they cannot really smother us, though they try through different types of slander and the creation of blocs of some sort intended to weaken Russia.

In this photo released by Russian Orthodox Church Press Service, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, center, accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, sanctifies the cross necklaces for Ru

Patriarch Kirill, an enthusiastic backer of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, blessed icons and crosses that were to be engraved with the president's initials and sent to servicemen i

In this photo released by Russian Orthodox Church Press Service, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, center, delivers the Christmas service in the Christ The Savoiur Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, Monday,