The head of the Russian Orthodox Church stated that the atomic bomb in the Soviet Union was created due to divine intervention. After the liturgy at the Holy Trinity Monastery, he reminded that the weapon was developed in the city of Sarov (Arzamas-16) – a place where Saint Seraphim of Sarov once prayed.
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“We created our Russian atomic bomb, which stopped the enemy’s plan to destroy and enslave our Motherland. Yes, through the work of scientists, engineers, and workers who worked here, God’s grace and mercy appeared to our country,” said the patriarch, as quoted by The Moscow Times.
In his opinion, the creation of the atomic bomb saved the USSR “from terrible destruction, after which neither the country nor the nation might have remained.” “All this happened also according to the prayers of our holy and God-bearing father Seraphim of Sarov. This is how a humble elder, through his holiness… contributed to the fact that our nation and our country continue to exist,” Kirill stated.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church made similar statements in 2023, claiming that the atomic bomb was created by local scientists “according to the ineffable providence of God.” And in 2024, he urged Russians not to fear such a weapon and the possible end of the world.
The nuclear bomb development center in Sarov was built in 1946 on the site of the Uspensky Monastery, which was closed by the Bolsheviks in 1927. The weapon was developed by scientists, including academician Vitaly Khlopin, Georgy Gamov, and Igor Kurchatov. The first atomic bomb tests were successfully conducted in August 1949, and in March 1950 it was officially announced that the Soviet Union possessed such a weapon – thus ending the US nuclear monopoly.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in January 2026 Russia had 5,420 nuclear warheads, and the US had 5,042.
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