The Russian Orthodox Church Called The Kremlin's "inner Circle" "God's Grace"

• 2.08.2026, 8:58

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev has caused a stir with a new statement.

The creation of the atomic bomb in the USSR was predestined by divine intervention. And the bomb itself was built in the city where St. Seraphim of Sarov prayed, said Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.

This was reported by The Moscow Times.

Patriarch Kirill (born Vladimir Gundyaev) made this statement after the liturgy at the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery. He noted that the device was developed in the city of Sarov (Arzamas-16), at the very site where Saint Seraphim of Sarov used to pray.

“We created our Russian atomic bomb, which thwarted the enemy’s plans to destroy and enslave our Motherland. Thus, thanks to the work of the scientists, engineers, and workers who labored here, God’s grace and mercy descended upon our country,” said the patriarch.

In his view, the development of the atomic bomb saved the USSR “from terrible destruction, which could have left neither the country nor the people intact.”

“All of this happened, in particular, thanks to the prayers of our venerable and godly father, Seraphim of Sarov. In this way, a humble elder, by virtue of his holiness... helped ensure that our people and our country continue to exist,” Kirill concluded.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church had already made similar remarks in 2023, claiming that the nuclear bomb was developed by Russian scientists “by God’s inexpressible providence,” the publication notes. And in 2024, he urged Russians not to fear such weapons or the possible end of the world.