Russian patriarch gives doomsday warning to Moscow's rivals

Any attempt to destroy Russia 'will mean the end of the world,' says head of Russian Orthodox Church

2023-01-19 18:25:11

MOSCOW

Any attempt to destroy Russia will spell the end of the world, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church warned on Thursday.

“Today there are great threats to the world, to our country, and to the entire humankind,” Patriarch Kirill said at a service for Epiphany, a religious holiday commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.

“The desire to defeat Russia today has taken very dangerous forms. We pray to the Lord that he will bring the madmen to reason and help them understand that any desire to destroy Russia will mean the end of the world.”

He said Russia has powerful weapons and people with a strong desire to always win.

“Today is such an anxious time, but we believe that the Lord will not leave the Russian land ... that Russia will have the strength … to protect its land and its people,” he said.