The Russian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Kirill Weaponizing Teaching of Human Rights and Ecclesiastical Social Doctrine to Justify the Russian War of Aggression in Ukraine

The article examines how the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), under Patriarch Kirill’s leadership, has strategically weaponized human rights discourse and ecclesiastical social doctrine within Russian strategic narratives since 2012 with a specific focus on the Russia-Ukraine war. Recasting human rights through the lens of “traditional values” grounded in Orthodox moral theology—and in opposition to liberal frameworks, particularly those concerning gender and sexual equality—the ROC’s reinterpretation has been formally embedded in Russian state policy and legal structures. In concert with the Kremlin, the ROC has transformed religious morality into a geopolitical instrument, framing liberal human rights as existential threats to Russian identity and advancing a spiritual antagonism toward the West. As a moral entrepreneur, Patriarch Kirill has been instrumental in constructing a doctrinal synthesis of Orthodoxy, nationalism, and anti-Westernism to legitimize war and redefine sovereignty. Drawing on official church and state documents, the article highlights the mobilization of ecclesiastical doctrine in support of national security policy and the justification of war. It underscores a deliberate campaign to position Russian Orthodoxy as a moral alternative to universal liberal norms, marking a significant shift in the global politics of human rights.