Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), used to work in Geneva for the Soviet KGB foreign intelligence service in the 1970s.

According to Matin Dimanche and Sonntagszeitung, citing the data of the Swiss Federal Archives, the file on Kirill, which was compiled by the federal police at the time and later made public, confirms that the church leader belonged to the KGB.

In the early 1970s, the incumbent patriarch of the Russian Church lived in Geneva under the alias of "Mikhailov". He was to officially represent the Moscow Patriarchate in the World Council of Churches. Kirill's task was, among other things, to influence the council.

According to media reports, the goal of the Soviet leadership at the time was to force the Geneva institution to condemn the United States and its allies, and to soften their criticism of the lack of religious freedom in the Soviet Union.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church is a consistent supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his policies. He supports Russia's war against Ukraine and blesses Putin's missiles;  in 2012, he called the dictator a "miracle".

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, is in favour of the West imposing sanctions against Russian Patriarch Kirill in 2023.