{"id":141918,"date":"2025-06-09T13:09:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T10:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/141918\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"russian-orthodox-leader-reaffirms-belarus-as-part-of-all-russia","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/141918\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Orthodox leader reaffirms Belarus as part of \u201cAll-Russia\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At a meeting with Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka on June 6, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized that \u201cthe patriarch is the patriarch of all Russia, including Belarus.\u201d The Church, led by Patriarch Kirill, actively promotes the Russian government\u2019s irredentist ideology of a pan-Russian nation encompassing Great Russia, Little Russia (Ukraine), and White Russia (Belarus) as subordinate entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Belarusian leader's press office)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Russian church backs war in Ukraine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This irredentist worldview serves as ideological justification for Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine. The Kremlin claims it is defending Orthodox Russian speakers and working to reunite the so-called Russian sub-nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly voiced support for what the Kremlin terms its \u201cspecial military operation.\u201d In Belarus, the Russian Orthodox Church\u2019s Saint Elizabeth Convent in Minsk has gained notoriety for raising funds in support of the Russian military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of volunteers affiliated with the convent received an official letter of gratitude from a Russian military unit for \u201corganizing, delivering and issuing gear, equipment and inventory items to mobilized military servicemen.\u201d Andrej Lemia\u0161onak, a priest known for his public display of the controversial Ribbon of St. George\u2014a symbol of Russian imperialism\u2014described the convent as a \u201ccombat unit\u201d during his Victory Day speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, during a visit to the convent, \u0141uka\u0161enka praised its support for the war effort. \u201cWe are helping our Russian brothers… You are doing the right thing, so do not pay attention to the ten or twenty paid-for people [critics],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding \u201cRussian world\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During their meeting, Patriarch Kirill assured \u0141uka\u0161enka that the Russian Orthodox Church has never pursued political goals that conflict with the interests of the government or the nation. The implication, however, was clear: the Church serves the interests of the Russian government and promotes imperial ambitions under the guise of spiritual unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, the Russian Orthodox Church has functioned as an instrument of state power, consistently advancing Moscow\u2019s geopolitical agenda. In Belarus, its influence has grown markedly, especially since 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before his break with the West that year, \u0141uka\u0161enka had called for greater autonomy for the Belarusian Exarchate. In 2016, he stated, \u201cWe have never been as sovereign and independent a state as we are now. Naturally, all government institutions and organizations, including the Church, should adapt and improve in this direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remark came amid tensions with Moscow following his refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. At the time, \u0141uka\u0161enka was seeking closer ties with the West to counterbalance Russian pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2015 and 2020, he tolerated initiatives aimed at asserting a distinct Belarusian national identity. However, after massive protests erupted in 2020 against his rule, \u0141uka\u0161enka turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin for support. Confronted with the choice between relinquishing power or ceding elements of sovereignty to the Kremlin, \u0141uka\u0161enka opted for the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One notable consequence came in August 2020, when the Russian Orthodox Church removed Metropolitan Pavel from his position as head of the Belarusian Exarchate after he condemned police brutality. He was replaced by Metropolitan Veniamin, who is widely seen as more compliant with both Moscow and Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka himself treats Orthodox clerics as part of the state apparatus. In a February address to religious leaders, he said, \u201cIf we [the government] worked out an idea or took a decision, it must be implemented. And everyone must seek to implement it. This is what I see as executive discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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