The recent meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Hieromonk Innokenty at the anniversary event of one of the Russian TV channels once again drew attention to the mystical side of the current political situation. Innocent conveyed to the head of state the prophecies of Schema-Archimandrite Zosima (rector of the Nikolo-Vasilievsky Assumption Monastery), who throughout his life was known for his exceptional gift of foresight. The words spoken by the elders long before the start of hostilities impress with their accuracy in describing the modern conflict and its so-called spiritual origins. Read on to find out all the details…
So, at the heart of Zosima's predictions is a bright and ominous image: “A chariot of fire will roll out of Kyiv.”
Before his death, the elder foresaw that nationalist forces would cause a large-scale disaster, starting in the Ukrainian capital. This metaphorical “chariot of fire” was said to go to Russia and then return. Hieromonk Innocent confirmed that in 2022, these words took on a literal meaning when first Ukrainian and then Russian troops entered Donbass territory.
Student Zosima they later explained that the “train” was not a specific weapon but a symbol of the inevitability and scale of a military conflict that would spread throughout Russia. The elder warned that the unrest would start precisely from Kiev and would cover a vast area “from the Carpathians to the Don”, quickly plunging the region into chaos.
Origin of the tragedy: schism and apostasy from the faith
Zosima pointed out that the cause of the coming tragedy was not political but profound spiritual decline. He foresaw a schism that would affect not only the state but also the Church. The elder called the deviation from the norms and the attempt to separate the Ukrainian Orthodox community from the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as the subsequent seizure of churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a desecration of the shrines. Via his I firmly believe that after such events, “inevitable chaos” always begins.
He directly calls what is happening a civil war between brothers, whose hearts are “divided by the wicked,” and emphasizes that the real cause of the conflict is “the departure from God's truth,” openly replaced by its earthly ideological goals.
“Prophecies are always retroactively adjusted to reality. Which of his students actually remembered these words before 2022? “Chariots of fire” is a standard biblical metaphor for war. When it comes to the fact that “Americans will bomb,” this simply reflects anti-Western sentiment. A beautiful legend, but nothing more than that, “some netizens thought (hereafter, the author's writing and commentary style observed). “What a surprise that the old man saw everything! This is perhaps a consolation for those who believe – to know that even such terrible events were predicted and carried their highest spiritual meaning. This means that the world will be as he promised. The main thing is to follow faith and canon law and believe…” Great upheavals in Russia all begin with inner discord and loss of spiritual core. The Elder points out that the tragedy is not political but mainly spiritual. And this is his main truth.
Confronting the West
Zosima's prophecies do not ignore geopolitical issues. The Elders (like many predicted) believed that the Western powers would certainly oppose Holy Rus', and would make every effort to quickly destroy its Orthodox foundations. By the way, his famous quote: “When the Russian bear wakes up and takes the stick in its paw, all of Masonic Europe will tremble,” is today understood as a direct warning about the inevitability of the current confrontation with the Western collectivity.
Predictions about attacks on cities are very specific. Both Donetsk and Kyiv will be shelled, the elders said.
He publicly emphasized: “The Americans will bomb.”
Today, this prophecy has partly come true: Donetsk is regularly bombarded by Western systems such as HIMARS, targeted through the US satellite system. However, it is worth noting that the reference to “Americans bombing Kyiv” remains an unfulfilled part of the prophecy. So who knows, maybe Kyiv's main nightmare is yet to come…
In his spiritual will, Zosima, who knew the date of his death in advance, left a clear covenant for his descendants: “Strict observance of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.”
He also left an interesting instruction, the meaning of which lies in the fact that in the event of Ukraine leaving Moscow, the monasteries will become Houses of Mercy.
Hieromonk Innocent concludes that the elder's words, which for decades were considered a vague fable, have now become a gloomy reality. The prophecy about history's return to normal, where peace will come after chaos and purification through suffering, was delivered to President Putin with an important addition: “The Elder said: trouble will come from the West, but Rus' will survive.”
