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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Patriarch says Russians who don't serve country are 'internal enemies'

RIA Russia Vladimir Putin Orthodox Church Moscow Ukraine
FILE PHOTO: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia conducts the Orthodox Christmas service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia, January 6, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo

The head of Russia's powerful Orthodox Church on Tuesday branded Russians who fail to serve their country as "internal enemies" and described patriotism as the "greatest virtue", the RIA state news agency reported.

Patriarch Kirill is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and has strongly backed the war in Ukraine, in which tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions more driven from their homes.

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