At the meeting of the XXVI World Russian People's Council, Patriarch Kirill discussed the threat of nuclear weapons use.
“The escalation of fear around possible apocalyptic scenarios, excessive alarmism, and speculation on the nuclear topic are not beneficial from a spiritual point of view. The enemy of the human race tries to sow anxiety in people's hearts to paralyze their will and deprive them of courage, for a person deprived of spiritual peace is easier to manipulate. <...> We should not play along with all this. Christians are not afraid of the so-called end of the world. We are waiting for the Lord Jesus, who will come in great glory, destroy evil, and judge all nations,” said the head of the ROC.
However, he still urged to be “warriors of the Lord,” “to resist evil and uphold high moral ideals.”
Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and in March, the ROC at the World Russian People's Council called the war with Ukraine “sacred.” Moreover, priests are forced to read the “prayer for Holy Russia,” which speaks of Russia's victory in the war with Ukraine. Earlier this year, for refusing to read the “prayer for Holy Russia,” the diocesan court of the Moscow diocese defrocked Archpriest Alexei Uminsky. In February 2023, Priest Ioann Koval replaced the word “victory” with “peace” in the prayer, for which he was also banned from service.
The topic of nuclear war became especially resonant after Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons in strikes on military targets in Russia. In response, the Kremlin changed its nuclear doctrine, including as potential targets those states that supply weapons to Ukraine.