Vladimir Putin has clashed with the head of the Russian church after he slammed plans for the mobilisation of more men in the war against Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill had strongly backed the Russian President during the conflict, which the religious leader insisted was justified on a spiritual level.
However, the Patriarch has now slammed Putin's plans for the mobilisation of more men to renew his attempts to take over Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill claimed the war effort has exacerbated Russia's demographic crisis, saying fathers of large families should not be made to fight but rather focus on "stimulating" the birth rate.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow
Reuters
At a meeting of the Russian Federation Council, he said: "For the purpose of saving people and stimulating the birth rate in Russia, I consider it important...at the federal level to legally prohibit the mobilisation in peacetime of fathers of large families with three or more children.
"According to the current law, fathers of four children have the right to a deferment.
"But it is necessary to provide the same rights and for families with three children, it is precisely such a family that gives, although minimal, a real increase in our population.
"It is the family that will ensure the reproduction of the population."
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Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia leads a service in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow
Reuters
The Russian president has not announced an upcoming effort to bring in more men to fight in Ukraine. However, he has signed multiple decrees that would allow him to bring in new soldiers from a larger pool of male citizens.
Putin is not expected to make any move towards a new call to arms until after the general election, which is set to take place in March.
There have been clashes in Russia between Church and State as popular liberal priest Aleksiy Uminsky refused to read out a prayer asking God to guide Russia to victory over Ukraine.
A church court said Uminsky should be "expelled from holy orders" for violating his priestly oath when he refused to read the "Prayer for Holy Rus" - an archaic name for Russia - which Kirill has made compulsory at church services.
Dozens of Russian Orthodox priests have been punished for challenging the Church's line on the war.
One of the ways in which this has happened is by priests reading out prayers for peace instead of victory.
A total of 11,627 Orthodox believers have signed an open letter in his support since he was removed as priest of the Holy Trinity church and replaced by Andrei Tkachov, a vocal champion of the war.
They said the decision had caused them great pain and would deprive thousands of people of spiritual support.