From Sarov to the Iron Dome: How the Kremlin prays for the bomb, while Israel competes with Ukraine for weapons. Why should jellyfish not grant immortality to dictators?

Even the respectable British publication The Times  could not pass by this theological surrealism and dedicated a separate piece to the outbursts of the Gundyaev patriarchate. And this is a real quote from the head of the ROC, delivered in all seriousness during a worship service.

He said that God helped the Soviet Union, in which atheism was official state policy, create the bomb in 1949 in response to the prayers of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, who died in 1833. "The creation of the formidable weapon in our country precisely here was not accidental. All this happened, including, through the prayers of our reverend and God-bearing father Seraphim of Sarov,"—said Kirill.

REFERENCE "GROMADA" 

The Soviet authorities closed the Sarov monastery during the anti-religious campaign in the 1920s, and the monks were executed or sent to labor camps. The city's cathedral was blown up in 1951, but restored under President Putin, who calls himself a devout Christian. Currently, Russian nuclear energy research centers are located in Sarov, and entry to the city is strictly controlled.

While Moscow attempts to bridge its technological gap with holy water and seeks the roots of an atheist atomic project in 19th-century prayer books, real security is built on pragmatic engineering, international cooperation, and ultra-fast development.

The Ukrainian company Fire Point, known for its drone and rocket developments, has begun integrating Western technologies into its own anti-missile defense system called "Freya." CEO Irina Terekh told Reuters that 13 European defense companies are already cooperating. The core is the FP7.X interceptor, based on a modified FP7 ballistic missile. Initial combat deployment is planned for this fall, with a full-scale successful intercept expected by mid-2027. Fire Point aims for an interceptor cost below 1 million euros, 4-6 times cheaper than a Patriot launch, and is compressing a 20-30 year program into a few years. An offensive "long-range bonus"—the FP9 ballistic missile capable of reaching Moscow—is also under development, with tests scheduled for late autumn.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, expressed a highly skeptical stance on Kyiv's Euro-Atlantic prospects, urging a rejection of "rose-colored glasses" and political myths. Key points include:

"Illusion of Open Doors": For 12 years, Ukraine has "listened to fairy tales" about future NATO membership, while the Alliance proved internally fractured and unready to take direct security commitments toward a country at war with a nuclear power.

Lack of Political Will: Key partners fear direct escalation with the Russian Federation, so full membership remains blocked by bureaucratic pretexts, regardless of Ukraine's technical standards.

Reliance on Self and Bilateral Alliances: Zaluzhnyi argued that instead of waiting for a "miracle" from Brussels, Ukraine must focus on building its own powerful defense-industrial complex, securing direct bilateral security agreements, and creating its own technological anti-missile and strike infrastructure.

Competiton for Weapons: While Ukraine emphasizes self-reliance, Washington debates how deeply the U.S. defense industry should integrate with foreign ones. WP reports on intense debates in the House over an initiative for deep integration of the U.S. and Israeli MICs.

Netanyahu Blocked Iron Dome: Sources confirm that in 2023, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu personally blocked the transfer of U.S. Iron Dome systems to Ukraine, despite Kyiv's urgent need for civilian defense.

Resource Strain: Ukraine and Israel are effectively competing for scarce U.S. defense resources—interceptors, artillery shells, and precision munitions, whose stocks are severely depleted.

Lobbying Risks: The push for MIC integration is seen as Tel Aviv's attempt to secure priority access, but critics warn it could give Israel leverage over U.S. military exports, further complicating aid to other allies, specifically Ukraine.

While Ukraine builds its shield, the Middle East sees a vintage espionage drama. Israel Hayom reveals the hunt for Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Having cut off all digital signals (phone, laptop, radio) for 150 days, hiding in underground bunkers, he attempts to avoid the fate of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was liquidated last year via hacked city surveillance. Western intelligence must return to "old school" human intelligence (HUMINT) and navigate a maze of body doubles and paranoia, with some even questioning if Mojtaba is already dead.

The bombing of the elite Moscow restaurant Balzi Rossi shattered the Russian elites' sense of security. Though ostensibly a hospitality venue, the restaurant is linked to powerful shadow financial structures (like the "FonBet" gambling giant) within the orbit of PM Mikhail Mishustin. It signals the collapse of the implicit contract where elites profit from war while commoners die. Observers see this as the culmination of an Ukrainian operation to demonstrate the price of escalation. In response, Kremlin agents (like Thomas Graham in The New York Times) are desperately calling for Donald Trump's return to "save" Putin, as own system security has dissolved.

The Guardian profiled Turritopsis dohrnii, the only organism known to science capable of completely reversing its life cycle and cheating death. In times of stress, it "reprograms" its cells to revert to a larval polyp form and restarts its life. Scientists studying its DNA—which has double the repair genes—seek applications in regenerative medicine and anti-aging. The summary concludes with the cynical hope that this immortality formula isn't discovered by war criminals or tyrants, suggesting some biological and political cycles are best left to their logical, inevitable end.

Read more in the Ukrainian edition....