Putin dubbed ‘fighter of the Antichrist’ as ‘de-Satanization’ rhetoric escalates
(Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin was dubbed a “fighter of the Antichrist” by a top religious figure as rhetoric referring to the war in Ukraine as a “de-Satanization” operation escalates.
Russian pundits and media presenting the invasion of Ukraine as a holy war are not new, with Russian ideologues frequently portraying the conflict as a struggle between the religious and traditional Russia versus the decadent and secular West. Russian Orthodox Christians and Muslims in the country have united in their opposition to the progressive values of the West, which they view as symbolized in the post-Maidan government in Kyiv. But recently, rhetoric from these camps has escalated into describing the West as “satanic,” starting with Putin’s use of the term in his speech announcing the annexation of several eastern Ukrainian territories, which has since been widely adopted by his key allies and Russian state media.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the world’s largest by a substantial margin, has joined in these calls, moving to portray the conflict as a new crusade of sorts. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]