The E.U. plans to put the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on its sanctions list.

The next round of sanctions against Russia will include Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to diplomats who have reviewed the document outlining the measures but were not authorized to speak publicly.

The patriarch was due to be sanctioned later this week over his unalloyed support of the Kremlin for the invasion of Ukraine, they said.

Patriarch Kirill has proved a divisive figure throughout the war, with critics saying that he has taken his directions from President Vladimir Putin of Russia and not worked to try to end the fighting. Many of the Ukrainians dying in the war are members of his flock, since much of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has long been under the Moscow Patriarch. Patriarch Kirill has not spoken out about the atrocities carried out by the Russian army against civilians in Ukraine. Read more

@nytimes