Vladimir Rozanskij

The feast at the Lavra of the Trinity gathers all Russian Orthodox bishops and crowds of pilgrims every year. Another monk from the patriarchal monastery of the Presentation, near Lubianka, has died of coronavirus. The starets Sergij (Romanov) continues his battle against the patriarchate and political leadership, accusing them of having created "Satan's electronic lager".

Since yesterday voting for constitutional changes, at polling stations and online. The changes will allow Putin to remain in office until 2036, beating Stalin and Ivan the Terrible in terms of reign. Orthodox bishops urge the faithful to vote "for God and Putin", and "for the best leader in the history of our country". In the constitutional changes the insertion of the name of God is foreseen.

The ceremonies have been postponed from 9 May to today due to the coronavirus epidemic. But in many cities there are no demonstrations, or they are held early in the morning without a public. The virus spreads to Chechnya and the Caucasus, Siberia and Asian Russia: data collection is difficult. Vaccine tests on 20 volunteers have started at Sechenov University in the capital.

The great celebrations of 75 years of victory over Nazism begin. The patriarch and the president on a joint visit to Victory Cathedral, temple of the Armed Forces, which combines holiness and belligerence. A priest called it a "pagan temple" and was suspended by his bishop. Mother Feodora, 65, has died from coronavirus. She managed all of the international relations of the Patriarchate for years.

Suspended by his bishop, the hegumen has attacked the Patriarch and Church leadership for closing churches during the pandemic. For the monk, the Church is now "led by the doctors of the national health service". Many believers have come to his defence, some wearing Cossack uniforms, at the monastery of Verkhoturye. The row has taken an apocalyptic element.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have been "denialist" countries for months, refusing to admit the seriousness of the epidemic. In Kazakhstan there are at least 20 thousand cases; there are demonstrations in Kyrgyzstan to overthrow the regime; in Uzbekistan there are 5 thousand infected; in Turkmenistan it is said that there are no cases, but hospitals and cemeteries are full.

The church, which contained Stalin's mosaic and Putin's fresco, was consecrated almost in silence. Putin is also absent. The Kirov church, seized by the Bolsheviks, transformed into a veterinary clinic, has been confirmed as an orchestra hall.

It is the country most at risk, but officials deny presence of positive cases or deaths. No sanitary measures are applied. Witnesses, often anonymous, speak of hospitals full of people with respiratory problems, cemeteries flooded with coffins, nurses who die.

The parish priest of the Dormition church in the center of Moscow has died. One of the most controversial starets, the 93-year-old Archimandrite Petr (Kucher), from the Bogoljubovo monastery also died: he exalted Stalin and Ivan the Terrible. On the advice of the doctors, Patriarch Kirill renounces public celebration of Pentecost Mass. Pilgrims in Velikoretsk rejected by the population for fear of infections.

The journey began on June 3 and will last until June 8. Between 30 and 50 thousand pilgrims are expected, ignoring all indications and health restrictions. In early June, there were already 2,000 Covid-19 positive cases in the region. The Moscow Patriarchate has decided not to intervene for fear of creating a "clandestine orthodoxy" which rejects health rules and ecclesiastical authorities.

He will take over from Msgr. Celestino Migliore. In recent years, Russian Catholics have experienced a period of relative flowering, thanks to good relations with the state, the Orthodox Church and other religions. After tense relations between Moscow and Constantinople, the Vatican can offer a role of "ecumenical bridge" between the divergent poles of Orthodoxy. Controversy continues over the security measures for the pandemic in the Orthodox Church

The 75 years since the Great Patriotic War will be celebrated on June 24 and July 26. Preparations for vote on changes to the constitution that will give power to Putin's regime for life. Sergij, a rebel igumen, who refused the safety instructions on the coronavirus, has been suspended. He often urged the faithful to "ignore the self-isolation imposed by satanic authorities".