Ukraine puts head of Russian church on "wanted" list

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia leads a service in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

(Reuters) - Ukraine's Interior Ministry on Friday placed the head of Russia's Orthodox Church, a backer of the Kremlin's 21-month-old war against Kyiv, on a wanted list after security services accused him of abetting the conflict.

The measure is purely symbolic as Patriarch Kirill is in Russia and under no threat of arrest. It was the latest step in Ukraine's campaign to uproot the influence of priests it alleges maintain close links to Russia and subvert Ukrainian society.