Ukraine puts Moscow Patriarch Kirill on wanted list

Ukraine has issued a symbolic wanted notice for the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as an important supporter of the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry in Kyiv has placed the church leader, whose real name is Vladimir Gundyayev, on the wanted list. His whereabouts were given as Moscow.

Gundyayev is wanted by the Ukrainian secret service SBU and is said to have been evading official investigations since November 11.

The 77-year-old Moscow patriarch is accused of two offences, the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported on Saturday.

The charges relate to attacks on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the planning, preparation, initiation and execution of a war of aggression.

Kirill is considered a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Like Putin, he advocates Russia's claim to rule over the neighbouring countries in which Russians live.

In Ukraine, he has influence over the priests and communities that profess allegiance to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Ukrainian leadership is therefore trying to curtail the power of the Church from the enemy country.

According to the Ukrinform news agency, the SBU and the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office opened criminal proceedings against Kirill in November.

According to the statement, he is part of the Russian leadership circle, justifies the war and uses the Ukrainian communities for propaganda.

The patriarch is well-protected in Moscow, so the risk of him being arrested by Ukraine is low.