At the halfway point in his sermon, Patriarch Kirill said that the cathedral he stood in was not a testament of God's glory but of the glory of Russian military might
Patriarch Kirill legitimized the World War II analogies that Putin uses on a regular basis by comparing the war with Ukraine to the war with Nazi Germany This was followed by an endorsement of de-Ukrainianization, which the Kremlin euphemistically calls denazificationPatriarch Kirill also backed the "Russia as a victim" narratives that circulate on state media and claimed that Russian troops were trying to save Ukraine from itself To quote, Russian troops were "laying down their lives for their friends"
While Patriarch Kirill has routinely supported neo-imperialism, his speech's ringing endorsement of the most extreme Kremlin state media talking points is alarming It will also rally the religiously devout in Putin's base around war in Ukraine