The Russian Orthodox Church's staunchly pro-invasion policies have tarnished its reputation abroad, as it increasingly plays a role akin to “weaponizing religion” in service of the Kremlin.

Russia continues to advance slowly further into the eastern front of Ukraine amid the weakness of military support provided to Kyiv to repel the ongoing invasion since February 2022.

Russian General Staff announced on March 29 the launch of a spring military recruitment campaign beginning in early April of the same year, targeting thousands of youths aged between 18 and 30.

After more than two years of considering it a special operation in Ukraine, Russia declared that it was in a state of war due to the West's intervention on the side of Kyiv.

As ISIS claimed responsibility, Russian President Putin vowed to identify and punish those responsible for this bloody attack and tried to implicate Ukraine.