Patriarch Kirill of Moscow told veterans of Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine that Christ had “suffered an undeserved execution” but never condemned executions altogether, Novaya Gazeta reports.

He added: “Of course, killing a person as punishment for his crimes is an extreme measure and therefore it would be ideal for people not to commit such crimes that would be followed by the death penalty.”

Russia suspended all executions when it joined the Council of Europe in 1996 and promised to fully abolish the penalty within three years — though never did.

Patriarch Kirill said: “I would like to say that I welcome the fact that we now have a moratorium on the death penalty, and thank God for that.

“We must observe how this moratorium will affect the crime rate in our country. If crime decreases, then thank God, and there is no need to use the death penalty.”