“SMO”: From defending Orthodoxy to killing Orthodox Christians?
The Russian Orthodox Church constantly claims that Russia is fighting evil in Ukraine. And if previously it was parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) dying in this “fight,” now it will be priests – and even bishops.
In any endeavor, when goals are declared, there must be ongoing assessment – are things progressing as intended? Bodybuilders, for example, continually check their progress in the mirror to see if any muscle groups are disproportionate, adjusting their workout plans accordingly. In the auto industry, new car models undergo repeated testing – on aerodynamics, part reliability, etc. If you let the process run its course without evaluation, the outcome may be far from what was originally planned: the athlete ends up with an unbalanced physique, and the engineers create a car that at best flops on the market, and at worst causes fatal accidents.
These may be simplistic examples, but they illustrate an important point: in any process, you must look back at the stated goals and ask yourself – am I heading in the right direction?
When the Russian government launched its war in Ukraine, it presented what it saw as noble aims – liberation from a “Nazi regime,” assistance to the Russian-speaking population, protection of the Church, and even the destruction of global evil. A similar rhetoric was used over 100 years ago during World War I, when the Russian Empire fought outside its own borders under the pretext of protecting Slavic peoples in the Balkans (especially the Serbs) and defending Orthodoxy.
We know how that war ended and whether Russia’s stated goals were achieved. But what is happening now with the so-called “Special Military Operation” (SMO)? How are the objectives set by the Russian authorities being fulfilled? Now that the U.S. President has announced continued military aid to Ukraine, it’s becoming clear – hopes for peace are fading, and the war is entering a new phase. As a result, the vortex of war will pull in more and more Ukrainians. Including the Orthodox.
Ukrainian social media has long been filled with hundreds of videos showing aggressive scenes in which military recruitment officers, assisted by police, forcefully shove resisting men into vans.
In July, a video from Kharkiv went viral, showing a mother desperately trying to rescue her son from one such van – only to collapse unconscious on the street. She was taken away by ambulance.
That was just one case – but in reality, there are many. At the beginning of the Russian invasion, people went to fight voluntarily. Today, they are being forcibly conscripted. And those ending up on the front lines are not “Nazis” striving to “serve global evil.” They are ordinary people who, just yesterday, lived normal lives – caring for their families and children. But in an instant, on their way to the store or work, they were unlucky enough to encounter military recruiters. And it is these people whom the Russian military machine is now grinding up in Ukraine.
Let us now reflect on what is actually happening in the so-called “SMO” three and a half years after it began.
What is it “defending”?
The SMO began under slogans of denazification, demilitarization, and the defense of the spiritual space of Holy Rus’ from the corrupting influence of the West. Two and a half years before the war, on July 12, 2021, Vladimir Putin published an article titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, which stated, among other things:
“A blow was dealt to our spiritual unity. Just as in the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a new church schism was instigated. The secular authorities, pursuing political aims, shamelessly interfered in church life, leading to a schism, the seizure of churches, and the beating of priests and monks.”
The facts of interference in church life, church seizures, and the beating of clergy are real – and seemingly warrant protection. But what did this “protection” look like in practice?
Let’s recall what Russian politicians and Church leaders said after the war began:
- “I have made the decision to launch a special military operation. Its aim is to protect people who for eight years have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime.”
(V. Putin, 24.02.2022) - “Ideally, Ukraine must be liberated and purged of Nazis – of pro-Nazi individuals and ideology.”
(Presidential Press Secretary D. Peskov, 24.02.2022) - “For eight years they’ve tried to destroy what exists in Donbas. And what exists there is a principled rejection of so-called values promoted by those who seek global dominance. … Demanding that people hold gay parades has become a loyalty test to that powerful world. … Our brothers and sisters truly suffer and may even suffer for their loyalty to the Church. … We have entered a struggle of metaphysical significance. … We will remain faithful to the Word of God, to His law, to the law of love and justice.”
(Patriarch Kirill, 06.03.2022) - “The goals of the Special Military Operation are the protection of the DPR and LPR, the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, and the elimination of the military threat to Russia that has emerged from Ukrainian territory due to NATO involvement.”
(Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson M. Zakharova, 09.03.2022) - “From a spiritual and moral perspective, the Special Military Operation is a Holy War in which Russia and its people, defending the unified spiritual space of Holy Rus’, are fulfilling the mission of the Restrainer, protecting the world from the onslaught of globalism and the triumph of the satanized West.”
(Resolution of the World Russian People’s Council under the chairmanship of Patriarch Kirill, 27.03.2024)
In the rhetoric of Russian hierarchs, politicians, and public figures, the so-called SMO is a “holy war” waged by Russia against a demonized West. This war is supposedly intended to save the Church and Orthodoxy from destruction, to prevent the imposition of LGBT values, and more. According to this worldview, the Russian soldier is liberating the Ukrainian people from satanic ideology, rescuing them from enslavement by Western values, and preventing a threat to Russia from NATO. The rhetoric of the ROC adds another layer: the protection of the UOC from schismatics, Greek Catholics, and politicians seeking to destroy it.
In theory, it all sounds consistent. But, as time has shown, reality fits very poorly into this theoretical framework.
Defending or destroying?
Let’s look at the facts. They’re public knowledge.
Vladimir Putin declared that his goal was to protect the people of Donbas who, he claimed, had suffered “abuse and genocide for eight years.” Yet in the course of this so-called protection, Russian forces have obliterated hundreds of towns and villages, left millions homeless, stripped them of property, and forced them to flee their native land. Many of these settlements – razed to the ground – will never be rebuilt. They are lost forever.
The overwhelming majority of the dead, wounded, and displaced – those who have lost their homes and any means of survival – are Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens, many of whom had previously held a friendly or at least neutral attitude toward Russia. These were the very people Russia claimed to be “protecting.” Was this truly the intended outcome?
Russia insists it is defending Orthodoxy, claiming to be the “Restrainer” holding back universal evil. But here are the fruits of that defense: as of February 25, 2025, Russian aggression had completely or partially destroyed 338 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) – a number that has since grown substantially. Is that a lot? There are roughly 3,000 churches in the UOC eparchies located within the active war zone. That means, at a minimum, one in every ten churches has been damaged or destroyed as a result of this supposed “protection.”
Let us consider a parallel. We all know that during the Kosovo conflict, Albanian militants – backed by the West, i.e., the very “forces of global evil” Russia denounces – attacked and destroyed Serbian Orthodox churches. According to the Serbian Church, during the 1998–1999 war and in the aftermath (when NATO’s KFOR and UNMIK forces were already stationed in Kosovo), around 150 churches and monasteries were destroyed or damaged. The total number of Orthodox religious structures in that region is estimated at about 1,300.
In other words, the ratio of damaged or destroyed Orthodox churches was roughly the same – one in ten. But in Kosovo, we are told, it was “the forces of evil” who desecrated churches. And in Ukraine? It is those supposedly fighting evil who are doing the destroying. Yes, in Russia, many claim it is the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelling their own churches – but such claims strain credibility.
Thousands of UOC believers serve in the Ukrainian military. They, too, are dying – at the hands of those who claim to be their defenders. And it’s not only parishioners. It’s their children, their relatives, their priests.
Here are just a few examples:
- February 6, 2025 – The death of Andriy Lenko, son of a priest from the Ovruch Eparchy, was confirmed. He had been missing for nearly a year. Despite illness, he was drafted. He was studying at the Kyiv Seminary and dreamed of becoming a priest.
- July 24, 2024 – Vadym Mironin, son of a nun from the Tikhvin Convent, was killed.
- July 3, 2024 – Oleksandr Maksymyuk, son of a priest from the Rivne Eparchy, was killed.
- December 24, 2024 – Dmytro Yakonovych, son of Metropolitan Longin, was killed.
- September 2024 – Serhiy Riabets, son of a priest from the Oleksandriia Eparchy, was killed.
- May 2023 – Oleksandr Prokopchuk, son of a priest from the Sarny Eparchy, was killed.
- Fall 2023 – Andriy Demchyk, brother of a priest from the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy, was killed.
- Fall 2023 – Ivan Markevych, nephew of Metropolitan Augustine of Bila Tserkva and son of a local priest, was killed.
- August 18, 2023 – Oleksandr Marhyta, son of a priest from the Volyn Eparchy, was killed.
- Spring 2023 – Vasyl Fechko, son of a priest from the Mukachevo Eparchy, was killed.
- August 2022 – Vasyl Nahai, son of a priest from the Bila Tserkva Eparchy, was killed.
- December 26, 2022 – Vasyl Korobeinyk, son of a priest from the Sumy Eparchy, was killed.
- May 2022 – Mykola Yakovliuk, son of a priest from the Volyn Eparchy, was killed.
- May 2022 – Nazar Pryimak, brother of a priest from the Volyn Eparchy, was killed.
- April 2022 – Oleksandr Kovalenko, brother of Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhia, was killed.
And this is only a small portion of those killed by people who call them “brothers in faith” – those who claim to have come to “defend” them. At least 20 UOC priests have been killed by these so-called “Orthodox liberators.” The latest case: the death of Archimandrite Petro (Kryvytsky) in a monastery in the Kharkiv region.
But the absurdity doesn’t stop there.
UOC priests are now being drafted into the Ukrainian army. Yes, it is unlawful. Yes, it is a form of pressure and religious persecution. But regardless, UOC clergy are ending up on the front lines – often in increasing numbers and almost never voluntarily.
Following the publication of the DESS's list of clergy exempt from mobilization (which excluded UOC clerics), reports of priests being abducted by recruitment officers began surfacing almost daily. According to the UOJ, a Kyiv-based structure has been collecting UOC clergy data and issuing draft notices directly – bypassing local military offices.
The goal is obvious: to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and force it to merge with the OCU, whose clergy are not being conscripted.
The threat of mobilization now looms even over bishops. On July 16, the TRC detained Metropolitan Boholep of Oleksandriia. Though he was released, he received a draft notice and had an administrative protocol filed against him.
It’s now safe to say that dozens – perhaps hundreds – of UOC clerics have been mobilized. They refuse to bear arms. But they are being sent “on general terms” to frontline positions, where they become “legitimate targets” for Russian soldiers. The family of one mobilized priest told the UOJ that his commanding officer had threatened to send him to a storm unit. The consequences of that need no explanation. In reality, Russia’s “defenders of Orthodoxy” are now killing God’s priests – men clothed in Divine Grace.
And what of the ROC chaplains? Are none of them disturbed by the fact that their troops are not only firing at fellow Orthodox believers – but now also at Orthodox clergy?
Apparently not. In June, Ukraine was shaken by a post from the ROC’s military department titled “Spiritual Care for the Solntsepyok”, accompanied by a video of a priest blessing that infernal weapon. Earlier, many were shocked when Igor Fomin, rector of the Patriarchal Compound at MGIMO, brought not only humanitarian aid but also firearms – including rifles – to the front lines. Those rifles have likely already taken lives – lives made in the image of God. And these are just the examples that happened to go public.
United with Muslims?
One more fact. From the very beginning of the SMO, Muslims have fought alongside Orthodox Christians in the Russian army. In February–March 2022, Chechen units participated in the attempt to capture Kyiv. This leads to a truly paradoxical situation: in a “holy war” supposedly being waged in defense of faith and Orthodoxy, Russian Orthodox soldiers are killing Ukrainian Orthodox Christians – side by side with Muslims.
All the while, Russia insists that Ukrainians are part of the same Church as themselves.
On June 24, 2025, a video emerged showing ROC clergy, a Russian imam, and soldiers chanting in unison: “Akhmat – Power,” “God is One,” “Allahu Akbar,” and “Christ is Risen.” It was published by Apti Alaudinov, Deputy Head of the Russian Army’s Main Military-Political Directorate, with the caption: “This vividly demonstrates our unity! Muslims and Christians standing shoulder to shoulder in defense of our values against the forces of evil.”
And not just evil. Alaudinov stressed that Muslims and Orthodox Russians are “fighting side by side against the army of the Antichrist.” The ROC leadership did not respond. Their silence implies agreement.
So what do we have? Russian Muslims and Orthodox Christians now apparently worship “one God,” fighting “shoulder to shoulder” against “the forces of evil and the Antichrist.” Yet many of those they fight are Orthodox Christians – some even priests. Does that mean they are “the forces of evil”?
Islam, as is well known, recognizes Jesus Christ as a prophet – but not as the Son of God who came in the flesh. Yet St. John the Theologian makes this distinction a test of truth:
“This is how you recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ came in the flesh is from God. But every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world” (1 John 4:2–3).
It seems, then, that the ROC must choose: either reject the Apostle John – or reject this supposed “unity” with Muslims. The two cannot be reconciled.
Why is this happening?
Why do we see such glaring absurdity within the Russian Church?
As always, the answer must be sought in the Gospel.
Jesus Christ, rebuking the Pharisees, spoke of how they “set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition” (Mark 7:13).
Stories like “Russia is the Restrainer” or “Moscow is the Third Rome” are nothing more than human traditions – ideological myths that today are used to replace the direct commandments of God.
Murder is a sin – this is universally acknowledged. But when killing is justified in the name of “defending the Fatherland,” “Great Russia,” or “the Third Rome,” then, while it may not be ideal, it suddenly becomes acceptable.
But our Savior Jesus Christ did not kill for the sake of Truth – He died for it.
And when Peter raised his sword to defend Him, Christ said: “Put your sword back in its place, for all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword…” (Matthew 26:52).
Good cannot be done through murder and violence. Evil cannot be committed in the name of good.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21), wrote the Apostle Paul.
To the Ephesians he declared, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly cited this verse, emphasizing that in the “SMO” Russia is not fighting "against flesh and blood."
But the reality is the opposite. The “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” are not suffering in the slightest – on the contrary, they are rejoicing wildly at what’s taking place. It is "flesh and blood" that are being destroyed, crippled, and tormented. And not just on the front lines.
For many months now, Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and other Ukrainian cities have endured relentless nightly bombardments.
People go to sleep not knowing if they’ll wake up.
Mistakes by Russian drone and missile operators, the unpredictable work of air defenses and electronic warfare, all result in collapsed buildings, wounded and killed civilians. Those who survive yet another sleepless night in a basement or metro tunnel live on the edge of mental breakdown.
None of this even remotely resembles the noble goals of “liberation” or “salvation.” On the contrary, the logic of events makes it clear: the war is intensifying, the front is expanding, the strikes are growing harsher.
There will be more death, more suffering, more mutilated flesh and spilled blood.
Orthodox blood.
And this blood flows in the rear as well – if not yet literally, then spiritually.
Stoked by propaganda, government officials and Ukrainian civilians alike are waging a domestic war against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which they label as a “Kremlin outpost” of the ROC.
Nearly every family in Ukraine now mourns lost fathers, sons, and brothers. And many hearts burn with a thirst for revenge. If the true enemy is out of reach, a 'designated' one is found nearby – often in the same neighborhood.
In this way, believers of the UOC – thanks to the war and the Russian Church’s support of it – have come under fire from both sides:
Physically destroyed by the Russian army.
Hated and persecuted by their own compatriots.
Today, the UOC teeters on the brink of being banned and driven underground. This would mean that most believers would lose regular access to worship, confession, and Holy Communion.
Whose “achievement” is this?
The answer is painfully obvious.
And now is the moment to return to the question posed at the beginning of this article: "Is everything really going according to plan?"
Does the “SMO” truly liberate?
Does it genuinely defeat “global evil”?
Is this “holy war” truly not “against flesh and blood”?
The Russian Church, one suspects, already knows the answers.
And yet it persists in pretending that everything is going “as it should.”
And what about the minds and hearts of the bishops, the clergy, the faithful?
Perhaps a thought nags quietly: “Too much has already been done. It’s too late to protest, too late to turn back.”
And so they keep walking forward – waiting for the war to end – resigned, inwardly, to the continued sacrifices, suffering, and tears, to the unleashed flood of hatred and destruction.
This is exactly how the devil whispers to a fallen sinner: “Don’t stop. Keep sinning. It’s too late for you to change.”
But a person always retains the freedom to turn away from that voice and say: "Enough."
***
Today, the Russian Orthodox Church – illumined through the centuries by its great saints – stands at a crossroads.
Before it lie two paths:
– To continue blessing a war that is destroying the very Orthodoxy it claims to defend.
– Or to find the courage to say: "Enough."
Every day of delay means new graves.
New ruined churches.
New widows and orphans.
New murdered priests.
Every blessing of war is a betrayal of the One who said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
The Church has a voice – a voice that could compel the state to stop.
But time is running out.
And with it vanishes the last chance to preserve a clear conscience before both God and history.
Before his death, Moses addressed his people with these words: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.”
The choice is clear: either the Church becomes a Church of Peace – or it ceases to be the Church of Christ.
There is no third way.
