UK Sanctions Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill: Govt

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2022 ) :Britain on Thursday sanctioned the leader of Russia's Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, "for his support and endorsement" of President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The foreign ministry's announcement came two weeks after EU nations dropped the powerful 75-year-old cleric from their own latest sanctions list, after opposition from Hungary.

The new UK list also includes Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian children's rights commissioner, for allegedly overseeing the forced adoption in Russia of some 2,000 Ukrainian children.

"Today we are targeting the enablers and perpetrators of Putin's war who have brought untold suffering to Ukraine, including the forced transfer and adoption of children," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

"We will not tire of defending freedom and democracy, and keeping up the pressure on Putin, until Ukraine succeeds," she said in a statement.