Russian soldiers killed in Donbas exemplify 'courage & sacrifice': Orthodox Church head

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, remarked that Russian soldiers slain in Donbas are symbols of "courage and sacrifice." On June 20, NEXTA TV quoted Kirill as saying, "Russian servicemen during the special military operation in Ukraine and Donbas show amazing examples of courage and self-sacrifice, and it all comes from their inner moral sense."

Patriarch Kirill is the head of the Moscow-based church, which claims canonical jurisdiction over all Eastern Orthodox Christians living in former Soviet states, with the exception of Georgia, and more recently Ukraine. The spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide gave independence to the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine in January 2019, indicating a historic separation from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Kirill has been added to a draft blacklist that contains hundreds of people with ties to the Kremlin, who, the European Union accuses of backing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to various media reports. The proposed sanctions, which include freezing Kirill's assets and a travel ban, would have to be approved by EU member states.

US vows to supply more weaponry to assist Ukraine

Meanwhile, the United States has vowed to continue supplying weaponry to assist Ukraine in defending its land, but delays in getting those weapons to the front lines have given Russia an advantage as it strives to conquer the Donbas region. US President Joe Biden announced two tranches of weaponry and aid to Ukraine in the last month. 

Artillery, coastal defence weaponry, ammunition, and advanced rocket systems are included in the latest $1.2 billion package. Because many of those weapons are from Defense Department inventories, the department will publicise packages before they have been identified, examined, and dispatched.

International war analysts assumed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal was just to seize the Donbas region, but Russian forces attempted to take Kyiv and other important cities in a single decisive blitz. The invasion was hampered by a number of setbacks for the Russian troops, including substantial logistical challenges. However, now that Russia has narrowed its objectives to merely holding the Donbas region, it has strengthened its ability to conduct war, with speedier supply lines and longer range for its heavy weaponry. 

(Image: AP)