Couple of things. First, the Ecumenical patriarch is not an “Eastern pope”. He cannot dictate anything to other patriarchs, even though his voice certainly counts for much.
Second, it is generally true that the Moscow Patriarchate Church (that is the official church in Russia) is in unhealthy symbiosis with the Kremlin, just like they were since 1927. However, with the recent Putin’s adventures in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill was rather noticeably uneasy; he was absent at some important Putin’s speeches and never went beyond the general pleas for peace. It is normal in Orthodoxy in the event of war between Orthodox nations, for each hierarch to offer prayer for his side wishing them victory; Kirill did not do that. So Kirill may not be as much a tool of Putin as people thought back in 2012.
And thirdly, Russia was always solidly anti-Catholic, since the Polish invasion of 1612, and because of John Paul II’s role in the West’s victory in the Cold War — which, we know, is viewed in RF as the greatest catastrophe ever to befall man.
Interesting perspective. Thank you.