The Tatarstan Metropolitan Fights “Non-Believers” and Calls Kazan the “Stronghold” of Russian Statehood

Today, during a religious procession in Kazan, a symbol of its conquest and genocide was paraded once again.

The so-called icon of the “Kazan Mother of God” initially appeared as a provocation to indoctrinate new generations against any fight for independence from Moscow — as, according to this “icon,” Kazan was captured, slaughtered, and burned by Muscovites with blessings from above.

After the procession, the Kazan and Tatarstan Metropolitan Kirill spoke to journalists and elaborated on the role of Patriarch Hermogenes, who made this “icon” a key symbol of the Tatar people’s occupation.

“A hero, a true leader of the spirit, as people say now — a leader of public opinion. He was a true leader of public opinion for the late 16th – early 17th century. It was no coincidence that he was chosen as patriarch during such a difficult time. Thanks to his faithfulness, resilience, courage, and steadfast determination to preserve Orthodox faith and state integrity, people followed him. They trusted him. And these letters, these charters that he sent, were spread primarily from Kazan.

The most remarkable thing is that Kazan, which had been annexed to the Russian Tsardom a few decades earlier, became a stronghold of Russian statehood in the early 17th century. From here, the movement began, and, together with the Mother of God, the Russian people liberated the country from foreigners and non-believers, granting more time for our homeland to develop. And all of this is credited to Patriarch Hermogenes, who, as a keeper of the icon found among ashes near the Kremlin, knew all of its miracles, its power, and its spirit. He sought to guide the faithful people with that same spirit.

Thank God, for each of us, that we live in a country with a vast millennia-old history filled with many spiritual heroes. Among them, the name of Hermogenes — our Kazan native, our Kazan Metropolitan, our most holy and saintly Russian Patriarch — shines brightly,” the Metropolitan said.

The talk of liberation from “non-believers” refers to the supposed freeing of Moscow from the control of “Polish Catholics.” This is a misleading claim, as a coup was actually orchestrated by Muscovites — something modern Russian propaganda tends to downplay. Furthermore, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was far from being only “Polish” as Kremlin propagandists claim; it was nearly half populated by Orthodox Christians, with a substantial Muslim presence (including Lipka Tatars and Crimean Tatars).

It is important to note that the Kazan and Tatarstan Metropolitan, speaking from Tatar lands and knowing that most Tatars are Muslims, talks about how “Russian Kazan expelled non-believers and stood for Orthodox faith.” He cynically and mockingly refers to Kazan as a “stronghold of Russia, helping preserve its statehood,” despite the brutal conquest of the Kazan Khanate.