EU plans sanctions against Patriarch Kirill

BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Commission has proposed sanctions against the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, over his support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to media reports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a draft of the sixth round of sanctions against Russia to European Union lawmakers earlier in the day.

The EU executive body suggested, among other things, banning Russian oil imports and excluding Sberbank from the SWIFT international payment system as well as hitting new individuals with an asset freeze and travel ban.

Von der Leyen did not mention names, but according to the news outlet Politico, Patriarch Kirill will be on the blacklist for being “one of the most prominent supporters of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.”

According to the draft seen by the outlet, the church leader used sermons and made remarks to support the war and blessed soldiers fighting in Ukraine, which contributed to a large extent to amply Russian President Vladimir Putin’s messages.

The EU has allocated €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in military support to Ukrainians and adopted five packages of sanctions since the war began on Feb. 24.

The restrictive measures target individuals including Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, oligarchs and military officers.​​​​​​​

The EU has also banned the export of luxury goods and import of coal and excluded Russian and Belarusian banks from the SWIFT international banking system.

At least 3,238 civilians have been killed and 3,397 injured in Ukraine since the war began, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.