Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill said that a victim "while performing military duty, washes away all sins."
"We know that today many are dying on the fields of internecine strife. The Church prays that this strife ends as soon as possible, so that as few brothers as possible kill each other in this fratricidal war," Russian Patriarch said.
"The Church realizes that if someone, motivated by a sense of duty, the need to fulfill an oath, remains faithful to his vocation and dies while performing military duty, then he undoubtedly commits an act equivalent to a sacrifice. He sacrifices himself for others. And that's why we believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins that a person has committed."
