Bulgaria Vetoes EU Sanctions on Russia's Patriarch Kirill

Bulgaria’s vetoes have reportedly prompted the EU to drop Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, from the bloc’s upcoming 21st package of sanctions.

According to Euronews on Monday, citing its diplomatic sources, Sofia also requested the removal of Vagit Alekperov, a Russian oil billionaire, from the sanctions lists.

However, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc has yet to finalize the upcoming sanctions package on Russia, adding that “some open questions” remain, according to Reuters.

The development is not unprecedented.

In June 2022, Hungary, under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, blocked EU efforts to sanction Patriarch Kirill, with Italy also voicing opposition to targeting the Russian church leader.

Earlier reports suggested the EU would announce the package on Monday after waves of deadly Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Who’s Patriarch Kirill?

Patriarch Kirill, born Vladimir Gundyaev, is the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church and a confidant of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The religious leader has amplified the Kremlin’s narrative and supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In September 2022, he told soldiers that dying in the invasion is a way to atone for sins and indirectly framed the invasion as a “holy war” against the West.

In November 2023, Ukraine filed criminal charges against Patriarch Kirill, arguing that the religious leader was “a member of the inner circle of Russia’s top military and political leadership and ... one of the first to publicly support the full-scale war against Ukraine.”

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Why’s Bulgaria vetoing the sanctions?

The recent veto comes amid a political shift in Sofia following the April election victory of pro-Kremlin leader Rumen Radev.

Radev, the pro-Russian former president, won Bulgaria’s parliamentary election in a landslide. He has repeatedly argued that the war cannot be resolved on the battlefield and has criticized continued European military support for Kyiv.

Following this, Radev’s Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said that Sofia plans to halt all weapon deliveries to Ukraine.

Radev has also opposed targeted actions against Patriarch Kirill.

In support of this, in June, as EU members debated sanctions against Patriarch Kirill, Radev argued that religion should remain separate from politics and sanctions policy.

“What message are we sending when we extend sanctions and war into the sphere of religion? Do we realize where this leads?” Radev said.

Historically, Bulgaria has been a predominantly Orthodox Christian country, with ties to Russia rooted in shared Slavic and the pan-Slavic movement of the 19th century.