On May 20, 2025, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin paid a working visit to the Kursk region. During the trip, the head of state held a meeting with the heads of municipalities.
During the meeting, Vladimir Putin promised to convey a low bow from the participants of the meeting to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. "I will definitely do it," the head of state assured. — We know the position of His Holiness the Patriarch: he is one of the first defenders of the Orthodox faith, the Fatherland, and our people, so his attitude is of great importance, it is transmitted not only to the clergy, but to the entire nation. This is very important."
The President noted that the Orthodox Church has supported its people throughout history. "Representatives of all faiths of Russia are with their people, with their flock always. And the Russian Orthodox Church has shown many times, just throughout history, that it is always with its people. Always," the head of state said.
Vladimir Putin noted that Russia recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The President recalled that on the day of the German attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, Vyacheslav Molotov, then Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, was the first Soviet leader to address citizens. His speech was broadcast on the All-Union Radio, and the words were heard in it: "Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours." On July 3, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin himself began talking about the war, addressing citizens as "brothers and sisters."
"The Russian Orthodox Church, despite the enormous damage that was inflicted by the authorities, when the hour of trials came, completely and irrevocably forgot all the insults, all the most difficult trials that the priests went through, and stood up for the defense of the Fatherland. This is what is happening now," Vladimir Putin stressed at the meeting.
"And, unfortunately, the clergy are also suffering losses. We know this well," he added.
During the meeting, the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Suji, Archpriest Yevgeny Shestopalov, asked Vladimir Putin for help in restoring buildings at cultural heritage sites, including churches damaged due to the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants.
According to him, there were 15 temples, two chapels, one hermitage and one monastery in the Sudzha district; almost all facilities were damaged by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The church, in which Father Eugene is the rector, stands without a roof, the wall is destroyed. Outbuildings, a refectory, a gatehouse, a guest house and other buildings were also destroyed.
"I know that you have given instructions to deal with the damaged cultural objects from the aggression of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to help us in this regard. I would like this assistance to somehow extend not only to the cultural heritage site itself, but also to the buildings in which we lived, which our parish used - the same refectory where we fed parishioners in need; <...> housing for the clergy," he said.
The Russian President praised the actions of the priests during the liberation of the Kursk region. "I bow low to you for this," the head of state said, noting that the abandoned temples "were practically turned into fortresses by the enemy."
"During their liberation, these buildings and structures [were] seriously damaged. Here I would ask Alexander Evseevich [Khinstein, acting governor of the Kursk region] to analyze everything in the most careful way. And just make a separate program, proposals for the restoration of not only the main buildings (temples — approx. TASS), but also economic ones. We will do it all as planned. I am sure that it will be better than it was," Vladimir Putin stressed.
According to TASS materials