carroll s touch. the twenty fourteen my done protests in the capital kiev erupted in the division over whether ukraine should face east or west the crisis escalates when russia annexed crimea and moscow backed separatists seize territory in eastern ukraine today kiev and moscow remain locked in a tense stand off. ukraine is a sensitive subject for patriarch kirill. it s an existential threat to carol addressing this dispute publicly is problematic because it s a taboo subject. so this should also apply split church which believed it had entered into a perfect partnership with the state on matters of foreign policy is reaching the limits of its power here last year when it comes to ukraine the two entities have conflicting interests. it s election day in russia vladimir