Ukraine sanctions 22 associated with Russian Orthodox Church

Kyiv: Ukraine has imposed sanctions on 22 Russians citizens known to be associated with the Russian Orthodox Church for what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was their unabashed support of genocide under the guise of religion. According to an order issued by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the list includes Mikhail Gundayev, a man who represents the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Council of Churches and other global organizations in Geneva. Reports in the Russian state media suggested that Gundayev is a nephew of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. Earlier, Ukraine had sanctioned Kirill in 2022. Ukraine’s sanctions are the latest in a series of measures that the war-torn country has taken against the Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that is now entering its 12th month. “Sanctions have been imposed against 22 Russian citizens who, under the guise of spirituality, support terror and genocidal policy,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address late on Monday. He said the measures taken would go a long way in strengthening the country’s “spiritual independence”. A majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and the competition has been fierce between the branch of the church historically linked to Moscow and an independent church proclaimed after independence from Soviet rule in 1991. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.