Security Service of Ukraine accuses Russian chief chaplain of training 'agitators in robes' for military
Photo: Dmitry Vasylenkov, chief chaplain of Russia (Russian media)
The "chief military chaplain" of Russia, Dmitry Vasylenkov, has been indicted. He is involved in training priests who impose the ideology of "Rashism" on the Russian forces, according to the Security Service of Ukraine on Telegram.
According to law enforcement authorities, Dmitry Vasylenkov serves as the deputy head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Synodal Department for Interaction with the Russian Armed Forces and Russian law enforcement agencies.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has established that Vasylenkov publicly promotes Russia’s war against Ukraine and justifies the war crimes of the Russian army.
In April 2023, Patriarch Kirill Gundiaev appointed Vasylenkov as the "chief military chaplain," responsible for spreading Kremlin narratives within the Russian Armed Forces.
Specifically, the suspect conducts special courses to train "agitators in robes," who then impose the ideology of "Rashism" on Russian soldiers.
According to case materials, since 2014, Vasylenkov has traveled 60 times to temporarily occupied areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where he blessed soldiers for the war against Ukraine.
He also involved priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in justifying the occupation of Ukrainian territory.
Vasylenkov has been charged with propaganda of war and justification, recognition as lawful, and denial of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Comprehensive measures are underway to hold the offender accountable.
Russian Orthodox Church promotes the ideology of 'Rashism'
As early as March last year, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Russian Orthodox Church is trying to create a broad nationalist ideology centered on the war against Ukraine.
In particular, the ROC has described the war against Ukraine as an existential and civilizational "holy war."
