In an address to fellow Russian Orthodox Church leaders, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow said he wished to “stress once again that the Russian Church, despite the very negative political context, is called today to preserve the spiritual unity of our people —the Russian and Ukrainian peoples —as one nation which has come out of the Kievan baptismal font.”

“Without doubt, this unity is exposed to certain dangers in the situation of hostilities, and if we speak of an external factor, then the internet space, the information space, has also become a battlefield, and in this space there is much disinformation, downright lie[s], provocative statements, which can arouse negative feelings among people, prevent a speedy resolution of the conflict and reconciliation,” he added.

Hundreds of Eastern Orthodox scholars have condemned similar remarks by Patriarch Kirill, who has led the Russian Orthodox Church since 2009.