On May 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a speech at a diplomatic reception in honor of Orthodox Easter, portraying Russia as a guardian of Orthodox Christianity and traditional values. He claimed the West is waging a war against Christianity and interfering in Ukraine’s religious life. The irony—and hypocrisy—of such a statement is staggering.
While Lavrov extolled Russia’s supposed commitment to Orthodoxy, Russian missiles continue to rain down on Orthodox churches across Ukraine. The very faith Russia claims to defend is being desecrated by its bombs. Monasteries, cathedrals, parish churches—many centuries old—lie in ruins. The Sviatohirsk Lavra, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, and countless village churches have been targeted and damaged, many beyond repair. Not by secularists. Not by the West. By Russia.
The claim to be a defender of the faith rings hollow when paired with acts of terror and desecration. How can a country claim to uphold Orthodoxy while killing fellow Orthodox Christians, destroying their sanctuaries, and turning clergy into political targets?
Even more disturbing is the way the Moscow Patriarchate has been enlisted as a mouthpiece for war. When Patriarch Kirill justifies aggression in spiritual terms, it is not Orthodoxy he is proclaiming—but ideology dressed up as religion.
Let us be clear: to bomb an Orthodox church is not to defend Orthodoxy. To use icons as political shields, to cloak imperial ambitions in incense and vestments, is not to love Christ. It is to crucify Him again.
Real Orthodoxy does not lie. It does not kill. It does not burn temples to preserve thrones.
“Let us purify our senses and we shall see Christ shining in the unapproachable light of the Resurrection.” (Paschal Canon, Ode One)
May that unapproachable light expose every lie spoken in the name of Christ—and may it give strength to all who stand in truth, especially our suffering brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
