Excellent newsletter. I read about the Churches support of the invasion, as well as the other atrocities like child kidnappings. These people are despicable and just shows you what people will do for wealth and power.
The Russian Orthodox Church reminds me of America’s evangelicals; in both cases, they wouldn’t know Jesus if he were living on earth, preaching in the streets, and staring them in the face.
In fact, I’d posit, they’d probably have him crucified: Again, as a left-wing radical Jew…:)
Sharp piece. The Kremlin’s “defender of faith” act masks missile strikes, abducted children, and a captured church network. The moral line between Moscow’s performative Orthodoxy and Ukrainian faith in bombed-out basements is exactly what “peace now” proponents keep dodging.
I recommend the Spy in the Archive book to anyone trying to understand Russian intelligence, including long-time collaboration between the Orthodox Church and the KGB.
I've also read The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World. That last book goes into more detail.
I think some clarification is required regarding the relationship between Russian Orthodox clergy and the KGB/FSB. (I am an Orthodox Christian, and I served as a Soviet intelligence analyst for the US during the Cold War.) Kirill was not "working for" the KGB in the same sense as Putin. Putin was a career KGB officer, trained in all the skills of spycraft. Kirill, like 90% of ROC bishops, reported to a KGB handler. It was the price required to get ahead in a church overseen by the KGB, and ambitious young men paid it willingly. (The other 10% did not get promoted. So, you can be sure that any archbishop, metropolitan, or patriarch during the Soviet period was reporting to the KGB.) During the Soviet period, few people availed themselves of the sacrament of confession because they knew anything they said might be conveyed to the KGB. But Orthodox bishops were not employees of the KGB like Putin.
When Kirill was elected Patriarch, it was seen as a sign of backbone from the church. Everyone knew Putin would have preferred the more pliable Kliment. But Putin quickly brought Kirill to heel by threatening to publicize his wealth. Compromised bishops are always preferred because it gives the government leverage over the bishops.
So called patriarch Kirill is code named Mikailov and Putin’s father confessor priest monk is also an FSB agent. Since the time of the death of patriarch Tikhon as a confessor of the faith and the installation of Sergius as “ patriarch “ of Moscow, the Russian church has been infiltrated and operated as an instrument of the KGB and FSB.
I am concerned about this article not differentiating Eastern Russian Orthodox Church from Western Russian Orthodox Church. There is a different head for each. Is the Ukrainian Russian Orthodox Church now part of the Western Orthodox Church? If so, the leader is entirely different from the Eastern Orthodox Church, and is the same as the leader of US (Western) Orthodox Church. Please speak to this difference and not lump all Russian Orthodox Churches together. We do not need another hate-driven religious war in the US.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is autonomous (i.e., it elects its own leader) but is still under the Moscow Patriarchate. (The Orthodox Church of Japan has a similar status.) Two Russian jurisdictions are active in North America. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) is also autonomous under Moscow, but it has more de facto independence than the UOC. It covers most of the world, including Western Europe and North America. Meanwhile, the Moscow Patriarchate still directly oversees around a dozen parishes in North America. These are eventually to be incorporated into ROCOR, but nobody seems to be in a hurry to implement that transfer.
In addition, there is also the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), which was granted autocephaly (independence) by Moscow around 50 years ago, although not all churches recognize the OCA's autocephaly. There is also a Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA, which is under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and thus not jurisdictionally related to the Orthodox Churches of Russia and Ukraine.
Thank you Garry for highlighting this. Here is related documentary, A Faith Under Siege. It is chilling and powerful. It was produced earlier in 2025 about the war upon Ukraine's evangelical churches / parishioners / children by Russia and aided mightily by The Russian Orthodox Church. Here is the You Tube link (free) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4gJWdsyAA
While I was working for the National Endowment for Democracy, one of my working trips to the Urals region happened to coincide with a visit by the Patriarch to Ekaterinburg, where we both stayed in the same hotel. One evening, I was sitting in the hotel bar when two obvious “ladies of easy conduct” (to use the Russian expression) entered the lobby, strode boldly up to the heavily-guarded elevator that led to the Patriarch’s suite, and were admitted without incident. “Holy asceticism,” said the bartender.
Excellent newsletter. I read about the Churches support of the invasion, as well as the other atrocities like child kidnappings. These people are despicable and just shows you what people will do for wealth and power.
The Russian Orthodox Church reminds me of America’s evangelicals; in both cases, they wouldn’t know Jesus if he were living on earth, preaching in the streets, and staring them in the face.
In fact, I’d posit, they’d probably have him crucified: Again, as a left-wing radical Jew…:)
Sharp piece. The Kremlin’s “defender of faith” act masks missile strikes, abducted children, and a captured church network. The moral line between Moscow’s performative Orthodoxy and Ukrainian faith in bombed-out basements is exactly what “peace now” proponents keep dodging.
I recommend the Spy in the Archive book to anyone trying to understand Russian intelligence, including long-time collaboration between the Orthodox Church and the KGB.
I've also read The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World. That last book goes into more detail.
Who’s the author? There are two books of the name.
Gordon Corera
Found it and ordered it.
You may also be interested in The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World. That last book goes into more detail.
I’ll check it out, thanks!
Merry Christmas everyone
I think some clarification is required regarding the relationship between Russian Orthodox clergy and the KGB/FSB. (I am an Orthodox Christian, and I served as a Soviet intelligence analyst for the US during the Cold War.) Kirill was not "working for" the KGB in the same sense as Putin. Putin was a career KGB officer, trained in all the skills of spycraft. Kirill, like 90% of ROC bishops, reported to a KGB handler. It was the price required to get ahead in a church overseen by the KGB, and ambitious young men paid it willingly. (The other 10% did not get promoted. So, you can be sure that any archbishop, metropolitan, or patriarch during the Soviet period was reporting to the KGB.) During the Soviet period, few people availed themselves of the sacrament of confession because they knew anything they said might be conveyed to the KGB. But Orthodox bishops were not employees of the KGB like Putin.
When Kirill was elected Patriarch, it was seen as a sign of backbone from the church. Everyone knew Putin would have preferred the more pliable Kliment. But Putin quickly brought Kirill to heel by threatening to publicize his wealth. Compromised bishops are always preferred because it gives the government leverage over the bishops.
So called patriarch Kirill is code named Mikailov and Putin’s father confessor priest monk is also an FSB agent. Since the time of the death of patriarch Tikhon as a confessor of the faith and the installation of Sergius as “ patriarch “ of Moscow, the Russian church has been infiltrated and operated as an instrument of the KGB and FSB.
I am concerned about this article not differentiating Eastern Russian Orthodox Church from Western Russian Orthodox Church. There is a different head for each. Is the Ukrainian Russian Orthodox Church now part of the Western Orthodox Church? If so, the leader is entirely different from the Eastern Orthodox Church, and is the same as the leader of US (Western) Orthodox Church. Please speak to this difference and not lump all Russian Orthodox Churches together. We do not need another hate-driven religious war in the US.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is autonomous (i.e., it elects its own leader) but is still under the Moscow Patriarchate. (The Orthodox Church of Japan has a similar status.) Two Russian jurisdictions are active in North America. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) is also autonomous under Moscow, but it has more de facto independence than the UOC. It covers most of the world, including Western Europe and North America. Meanwhile, the Moscow Patriarchate still directly oversees around a dozen parishes in North America. These are eventually to be incorporated into ROCOR, but nobody seems to be in a hurry to implement that transfer.
In addition, there is also the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), which was granted autocephaly (independence) by Moscow around 50 years ago, although not all churches recognize the OCA's autocephaly. There is also a Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA, which is under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and thus not jurisdictionally related to the Orthodox Churches of Russia and Ukraine.
Sorry for laughing about such serious matters, but your excellent post invoked memories of the People's Front of Judea sketch from Monty Python
https://youtu.be/WboggjN_G-4?si=RSfTKpwmhbJDm-Cj
Bad Powers, Bad Math
Thank you Garry for highlighting this. Here is related documentary, A Faith Under Siege. It is chilling and powerful. It was produced earlier in 2025 about the war upon Ukraine's evangelical churches / parishioners / children by Russia and aided mightily by The Russian Orthodox Church. Here is the You Tube link (free) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4gJWdsyAA
While I was working for the National Endowment for Democracy, one of my working trips to the Urals region happened to coincide with a visit by the Patriarch to Ekaterinburg, where we both stayed in the same hotel. One evening, I was sitting in the hotel bar when two obvious “ladies of easy conduct” (to use the Russian expression) entered the lobby, strode boldly up to the heavily-guarded elevator that led to the Patriarch’s suite, and were admitted without incident. “Holy asceticism,” said the bartender.
$71 Trillion can help us/Ukraine now. SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS [Thus to Tyrants]- Stand/Unite Behind the Clean New Deal, TNU, F.I.G.H.T.,.
https://pc93.substack.com/p/sic-semper-tyrannis-reclaiming-virginias?r=55nkvn
The Prophetic Dissent of Colonel General Leonid Ivashov: A Chronicle of Warning Against Russia's War in Ukraine
https://pc93.substack.com/p/the-prophetic-dissent-of-colonel?r=55nkvn
Is Optimism Possible?
https://pc93.substack.com/p/is-optimism-possible?r=55nkvn
https://open.substack.com/pub/pc93/p/yesterday-friedrich-merz-chancellor?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=55nkvn
Two Visions for Ukraine: Why the World Must Support Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula Over Concessionary Frameworks
https://pc93.substack.com/p/two-visions-for-ukraine-why-the-world?r=55nkvn
Felon Traitor 47 as a Russian Asset [aka KKKomrade Krasnov] and Grounds for Impeachment Over Ukraine,.-Related Actions #Krasnov
Russia IS the Error: Why Maskirovka Goes Deeper Than Putin, Communism, or Any Ideology
https://pc93.substack.com/p/russia-is-the-error-why-maskirovka?r=55nkvn