The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill, who supports the killings of Ukrainians, has lost his spiritual mentor.

Archimandrite Iliy, the spiritual mentor of Russian Patriarch Kirill, has passed away

Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdryin) passed away on the night of March 15, according to 'Glavkom'.

The information about his death was confirmed by the abbot of the Vvedensky Stavropegic Male Monastery Bishop Yosif through the monastery's Telegram channel.

Iliy, born in 1932 in the village of Stanovoy Krynitsa in the Oryol region, became the spiritual mentor of Optina Monastery in the late 1980s. In 2010 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and he was also the spiritual mentor of Patriarch Kirill and actively supported the statements of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

It should be noted that Ukraine has announced suspicion against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Vladimir Gundyayev, known as Patriarch Kirill, for 'blessing' the killing of Ukrainians.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine. According to the investigation, he is part of the closest circles of the higher military-political leadership of Russia and was one of the first to publicly support the full-scale war against Ukraine.

Also, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill reprimanded the priest Alexey Shlyapin from Mozhaysk for saying that the church should not engage in 'patriotism', but should lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven.

'I do not agree with such a patriotic tendency in church relations [...] The priest's duty is to lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven, not to engage in patriotism,' Shlyapin said.

Kirill reacted sharply to such words. 'This is great, right? I hear this for the first Time! You, father, are not from Western Ukraine by any chance? Go, sit down, and seriously think about everything you just blurted out here,' said the Russian patriarch.

Such words from Kirill were met with laughter and applause from the present clergy.