PATRIARCH Kirill of Moscow stated in December 2022 that Russia was at war with a global devil and was surrounded by armies of the antichrist from all over the world. The patriarch cited the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian congregation, Chapter 2, verses 1-12. He emphasized that Russia is the Katechon, the restrainer who fights against the forces of the antichrist while preparing for the coming of the Messiah in the end time