Roscosmos Transports Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Moscow (VIDEOS)

(SeaPRwire) –   The Russian space agency dispatched a specialized aircraft to ensure the mission’s timely completion for Orthodox Easter.

On Saturday, the Holy Fire was transported from Jerusalem to Moscow, arriving at Vnukovo Airport before its use in Orthodox Easter services.

Each year, the flame is ignited on the eve of the holiday within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, at the site believed to be where Jesus Christ was buried. This ritual occurs in the Kuvuklia, a chapel constructed over the tomb, where the Patriarch of Jerusalem enters after prayers and shares the fire with clergy and pilgrims gathered in the darkened church.

A delegation from the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation conveyed the fire to the Russian capital on a Roscosmos aircraft, having received it earlier that day at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The group, led by foundation board chairman Vladimir Yakunin and Metropolitan Feognost, a vicar of Patriarch Kirill, arrived in Israel on April 10 and departed from Ben Gurion Airport following the ceremony, which included Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem praying alongside clergy and pilgrims.

At Vnukovo Airport, representatives from various dioceses received the fire before it was taken to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

It was utilized during the Patriarchal night service and subsequently distributed to numerous dioceses and churches throughout the capital, including Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo and Znamensky Cathedral on Varvarka Street. The flame is scheduled to be delivered to regions across the country, enabling worshippers to light candles from it throughout Easter week.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov stated that the delivery proceeded despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

“The situation in the Middle East is not simple, but it was important for us to fulfill the mission of delivering the fire, which millions of Orthodox Christians in our country await for the Bright Easter holiday,” he remarked.

The tradition of bringing the Holy Fire to contemporary Russia commenced in the early 1990s and became an annual occurrence in the early 2000s, with the flame being transported from Jerusalem via special flights after the ceremony.

In 2026, concerns arose regarding the potential absence of the fire due to restrictions on access to Jerusalem’s Old City and a more limited format for the ceremony. The cessation of the ritual is traditionally interpreted by some as an omen of future misfortune.

This year, Easter coincided with Cosmonautics Day on April 12, which commemorates Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering human spaceflight. Patriarch Kirill exchanged greetings with the Russian crew aboard the International Space Station. Roscosmos cosmonauts transmitted holiday messages from space.

“Our goal is to ignite in the hearts of millions of Russian boys and girls a love for space,” stated cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.