Vladimir Putin met with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church to bless gifts for troops in Ukraine during a Christmas service in Moscow. The meeting highlighted the church's support for the invasion, which Kirill has framed as a spiritual struggle against the West. The invasion has caused divisions within Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine, particularly between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate. Kyiv has enacted laws against the UOCMP due to its ties to the Kremlin, raising concerns about religious freedoms.