Vladimir Putin
Moscow patriarch stokes Orthodox tensions with war remarks
By Peter Smith — March 8, 2022
(AP) — Kirill on Sunday depicted the war in spiritual terms.
Viganò, Vatican critic, blames ‘deep state’ for Ukraine war, citing COVID-19 measures
By Claire Giangravé — March 7, 2022
(RNS) — The outspoken papal critic connected the Ukraine conflict to opposition to COVID-19 vaccines.
Holy wars: How a cathedral of guns and glory symbolizes Putin’s Russia
By Lena Surzhko Harned — March 7, 2022
(The Conversation) — To understand Russia’s war in Ukraine, look to the blend of religious and militaristic nationalism under Putin – on full display in the Church of the Russian Armed Forces.
Kyiv shrines, memorials with powerful symbolic value at risk
By Peter Smith — March 3, 2022
(AP) — Among the sites at risk in the Ukrainian capital are the nation's most sacred Orthodox shrines, dating back nearly 1,000 years to the dawn of Christianity in the region.
Putin’s claim to rid Ukraine of Nazis is especially absurd given its history
By Jeffrey Veidlinger — March 3, 2022
(The Conversation) — A Holocaust historian explains why Ukrainian history needs to be understood in terms of both past violence against Jews as well as the state’s pluralistic vision.
War at Lent: How Ukraine could reshape how we think about Christian unity
By Jacob Lupfer — March 2, 2022
(RNS) — The message of Lent, no matter how or where it is celebrated, remains the same.
A strike near Babyn Yar; but this time Jewish acceptance in Ukraine is growing
By Yonat Shimron — March 2, 2022
(RNS) — For many Jews, Ukraine brings up memories of pogroms, antisemitism and Nazi collaboration. But Jewish life in Ukraine is no longer what it was.
Ukraine Orthodox leader likens Putin to the Antichrist
By Jack Jenkins — February 28, 2022
(RNS) — Meanwhile, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow appeared to decry Russia’s opponents in Ukraine as 'evil forces.'
Amid Russian invasion, LDS Church issues generic denunciation of ‘armed conflict’
By Jana Riess — February 28, 2022
(RNS) — The LDS Church’s official 'statement on armed conflict' is well-intentioned but vague; Russia and Ukraine are never even mentioned. This is not the time to be Switzerland.
Religious nationalism and the invasion of Ukraine
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2022
(RNS) — Under Putin, the Russian Orthodox Church has resumed its czarist role as an arm of state policy.
EXPLAINER: How is Russia-Ukraine war linked to religion?
By Peter Smith — February 28, 2022
(AP) — The division between Ukraine's Orthodox bodies has reverberated worldwide in recent years as Orthodox churches have struggled with how and whether to take sides.
Franklin Graham sends disaster response teams to Europe; says he opposes war
By Yonat Shimron — February 26, 2022
(RNS) — He said Samaritan’s Purse can help with food, clothing, housing and other needs. Graham denied supporting Putin in his war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian-American Jews pray, anxiously await news from family back home
By Menachem Wecker — February 25, 2022
WASHINGTON (RNS) — 'It’s scary, because they don’t know what’s to come.'
In Los Angeles, a Ukrainian Catholic Church serves as respite amid Russian invasion
By Alejandra Molina — February 25, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — 'Many people feel anxiety, fear, frustration … To be together in church, to be together as a Ukrainian family and support each other, that’s very important,' said the Rev. Ihor Koshyk.
Putin is after more than land — he wants the religious soul of Ukraine
By Knox Thames — February 24, 2022
(RNS) — Make no mistake, Putin is seeking full capitulation from Ukraine — both physical and spiritual.
