Patriarch Kirill falsely claims that Russia "did not attack anyone"

OLENA ROSHCHINA — TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022, 2:30 PM

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, also known as Vladimir Gundyaev, said that "Russia has never attacked anyone".

Source: RIA Novosti

Quote: "We do not want to fight with anyone, Russia has never attacked anyone. It's surprising when a great and powerful country did not attack anyone; it has only been defending its borders."

Details: Patriarch Kirill made these statements during a sermon he gave in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on Radonitsa ("Day of Rejoicing"), the ninth day after Easter [when Orthodox Christians commemorate their dead].

According to him, on this day the Church asks the saints buried in the Archangel Cathedral to pray that Russia's "sacred borders" will remain impregnable, and that the Russians will have enough "wisdom, strength and honour, if necessary, to defend the sacred borders of the fatherland".

Recall: On 24 February, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was preceded by the seizure of Crimea, the incitement of war in eastern Ukraine and 8 years of hybrid war against Ukraine.

Western countries reported that the Russian Federation was preparing for a full-scale war against Ukraine a few months before it began. The West emphasises that Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine is unprovoked. 

Vladimir Putin called the war a "special military operation." Russia introduced criminal liability for the media for disseminating information about the war that does not correspond to the official position, which is why some media outlets have suspended their activities.

The Russian army is destroying Ukrainian cities, killing and raping civilians, and torturing prisoners of war.

The Russian Federation has previously waged hybrid wars on the territory of other states.