Delfi: Patriarch Kirill banned from entering Lithuania

Lithuania has banned Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill from entering the country, reports Baltic news outlet Delfi, citing the country’s Internal Affairs Ministry decision.

“Patriarch Kirill, one of the closest associates of Vladimir Putin, is one of the most active supporters of the war against Ukraine; he has publicly spoken favourably about the prolonged Russian aggression on several occasions,” reads the ministry’s statement.

The proposal to ban entry came from the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Delfi, the patriarch was included in the list of undesirable persons back on 23 June, but the information was previously not made public. The ban on entry will be enforced until 23 June 2027.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs notes that Patriarch Kirill denies the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and also supports “the aggressive actions of Russia, which flagrantly violate norms and principles of international law”.

“Patriarch Kirill openly calls Ukrainian people ‘participants of a Nazi regime’, who should be either deported or destroyed, in Russian propaganda media. On 27 February 2022, Patriarch Kirill blessed soldiers taking part in the war against Ukraine and justified the military action conducted by Russia,” the statement says.