The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has urged Russian citizens not to be afraid of death amid President Vladimir Putin's decision to mobilize troops in Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill, who has strongly supported Putin's decision on the Ukraine invasion, said during his sermon that a person of "true faith" is not subject to the fear of death, reports the New York Post.
His remarks came shortly after Putin declared that up to 300,000 reservists would be called to fight.
"Go bravely to fulfill your military duty. And remember that if you lay down your life for your country, you will be with God in his kingdom, glory, and eternal life," Kirill said during the sermon at the Zachatyevsky Monastery.
The Russian Orthodox Church's leader said, "Faith makes a person very strong because it transfers his consciousness from everyday life, from material worries to caring for the soul, for eternity."
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Kirill asked the Russian people not to see Ukrainians as enemies. "We know the kind of danger is hanging over the Ukrainian people. Attempts were being made to transform Ukraine into a nation hostile to Russia. Therefore, we must pray today that God strengthens fraternal feelings between the nations of the Holy Rus," he said.
Previously, Kirill invoked the idea that Ukrainians and Russians are one people.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Putin's war in Ukraine at the U.N. Security Council meeting in New York, saying that the decision to conduct the special military operation in Ukraine was inevitable.
Putin has said that the war in Ukraine could intensify if the situation continues to develop.
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