Across Russian-occupied Ukraine, Kremlin troops have shuttered places of worship since the first invasion began in 2014.

While Alexy II enjoyed a degree of freedom, Kirill has consistently aligned with the Kremlin, especially regarding Ukraine. As early as 2009, he criticized the independence of the Orthodox Church ...

The patriarch of Russia's Orthodox Church, celebrating Christmas alongside Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, said on Tuesday that the Western world despised Russia and its "alternative path of civilised ...