Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia offered Pascha greetings to the Russian troops at Hmeimim airbase in Syria on Sunday.
“The fact that Russia made such a decision to fight international terrorism and stop terrorism on remote approaches to the Russian borders is very courageous,” the Patriarch said.
“Without this decision, Syria would have perished, the Christians would have left their historical home but the main thing is that the enemy would have come close to our borders and started threatening our people directly. So what you do is of huge historical importance,” Patriarch Kirill said.
The Russian military in Syria are on a “historical mission,” he said. “You are helping save the people from terror, from international terrorism, from a massive loss of life, and of course you are preserving the country for peaceful life,” the patriarch said.
“The importance of your war exploits is not just political and humanitarian but also spiritual, especially, for our young people,” he said.
He was addressing the troops at Hmeimim via video link from the Christ the Savior Cathedral.
