Yes, the Bolsheviks killed priests who opposed them. So what? The ones who remained, and joined, were compromised. And funneled information to the KGB.
>> In the days of the Soviet Union, one could not join the priesthood without approval of the State. Think about that for a minute. <<
This is true. And it was true also in Poland. The Soviets were wrong about Pope John Paul II, and I don’t imagine they were always right about the Orthodox. Among the orthodox, concealing one’s true faith is even more critical, because SOMEONE must keep alive the flame. I have no reason to suppose Kirill was the closeted anti-communist hero John Paul was, but neither do I have reason to suppose that those who reformed Russia after the fall of communism were fools to believe in him.