Kremlin appoints new ROC representatives to promote ‘Russkiy Mir’ in Ukraine

The Kremlin has appointed new Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) representatives to advance the ideology of the “Russkiy Mir” (Russian World) under the pretense of religious outreach, according to Ukrainian intelligence. 

Russia is using this strategy to further its political goals in Ukraine.

“The authorities of the aggressor state continue their attempts to destabilize the unity of Ukrainian society,” the report reads.

The newly appointed curators for Ukraine include Metropolitan Antony (Anton Sevruk), Metropolitan Dionysius (Petr Porubay), Metropolitan Pavel (Georgiy Ponomaryov), and Metropolitan Varsonofiy (Anatoly Sudakov).

These figures are tasked with coordinating activities with religious organizations based in Russia and pro-Russian elements in Ukraine. Their responsibilities reportedly include relaying instructions from Russian intelligence services and overseeing provocations to serve the Kremlin’s interests.

The ROC continues to operate as a tool for Russia to exert influence over Ukraine under the pretext of “religious cooperation.” The Kremlin aims to shape public opinion in Ukraine, foster pro-Russian sentiment, and spread propaganda by appointing these spiritual leaders.

These efforts aim to undermine Ukrainian unity, create divisions among the faithful, and promote pro-Russian narratives within religious communities. 

Simultaneously, the Russian Church is expanding its network in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, with so-called church volunteers from the ROC’s Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission that is active in the seized villages and cities.

In December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces had killed around 50 Ukrainian priests and destroyed 700 churches since the start of the full-scale invasion. 

In November, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, revealed that Russia had been preparing for a new genocide of the Ukrainian people before the war, including creating execution lists, mobile crematoriums, and plans for mass graves. Among those on the lists were priests of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and other denominations who supported Ukraine.

In March 2024 the Russian People’s Assembly, an organization under the ROC, declared the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to be a “holy war,” a decree that was endorsed by Moscow Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.