Mir Vsem

Those of us who left are often accused of being unfairly didactic, even condescending, toward those who had to remain in Russia and continue living within its present reality. Over these years, I have come across hundreds, if not thousands, of social-media posts, short videos, and entire segments offering advice, issuing appeals, and sometimes making accusations. And they have always left me with the same sense of sadness. Because there has always been one difficult and painful answer to all...

Editor’s note. We wanted to illustrate this story with a photograph of the award ceremony—and came across a curious detail. The Order of Glory and Honor, First Class, is Kadyrov’s first major award from the Russian Orthodox Church, while the Patriarchate’s official statement merely says that he was to be “awarded” the order and makes no mention of any in-person ceremony. Meanwhile, images have appeared online showing the Patriarch personally pinning a decoration on Kadyrov—for example, in...

On September 5, 2026, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) announced a joint fundraising campaign with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), aiming to raise $50,000 to support Ukrainian refugees in Poland. On October 7, the OCA published another announcement featuring Metropolitan Tikhon's appeal, reminding readers that donations were still welcome. The OCA is an independent Orthodox Church rooted in the Russian Orthodox tradition. It received autocephaly from the Moscow...