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Patriarch Kirill (c) (Photo: Saint-Petersburg Theological Academy)

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EU adds head of Russian Orthodox Church to oil sanctions

The EU is to blacklist Russia's most senior cleric, Patriarch Kirill, as well as going after Kremlin oil revenue in its latest sanctions.

The 75-year old priest, Vladimir Gundayev from St Petersburg, in his recent sermons "blessed the Russian soldiers fighting for the Russian World and Holy Russia in Ukraine", a draft EU sanctions note seen by EUobserver on Wednesday (4 May), said.

He also called for "spiritual purification of U...

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

Patriarch Kirill (c) (Photo: Saint-Petersburg Theological Academy)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

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