Russian priest known as Putin's "confessor" hit by EU sanctions

The European Union imposed sanctions on more than 80 people and entities over Moscow's war in Ukraine Monday, including an Orthodox priest described in Russia as President Vladimir Putin's "confessor."

Georgiy Shevkunov, also known as Metropolitan Tikhon, a senior bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church, was targeted for "spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation" aimed at justifying the invasion of Ukraine, the bloc said in a statement.

Often referred to in Russian media as Putin's "personal priest" and "confessor" — a claim he has neither confirmed nor denied — Shevkunov was named Metropolitan of Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia illegally annexed in 2014, in 2023.

In February last year, Russia's FSB security service said it had arrested two people after thwarting a Ukrainian-ordered plot to kill the prelate.

The bishop was among 34 individuals and 47 entities that EU countries added to a Russia sanctions list Monday.

"We approved another batch of sanctions to put more pressure on Russia to end the war," said the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. "These measures strike at the heart of Russia's military-industrial complex, its shadow fleet, and the networks that fuel Moscow's hybrid attacks against Europe."

Western sanctions have already cost Russia over $1 trillion, Kallas said.

"Brick by brick, we are collapsing the foundations of Russia's war economy," she said.

The sanctions hit individuals and organizations involved in the manufacturing and supply of drones and other military equipment to Russian forces.

Alleged Russian propagandists, including a social media influencer identified as Alexandra Jost, as well as firms and people helping Russia fund its war via the shipment and export of oil were also targeted.

So were 15 people including judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials allegedly involved in the poisoning of murdered opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

The sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans and a prohibition to make any funds available to those blacklisted.

"Every measure shrinks Russia's room for maneuver," Kallas said.

The sanctions were announced on the same day that Russia fired a barrage of missiles at several major Ukrainian cities, killing at least 11 people and sparking a blaze at one of the most important Orthodox monasteries.

In response to the assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more pressure on Moscow from G7 leaders who were gathering at a summit in France set to be dominated by the U.S.-Iranian deal to end the war.

Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has turned into Europe's worst conflict since World War II, with thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of troops killed.