The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has been sanctioned for his support of Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, was filmed falling during a religious service.
Patriarch Kirill was holding Mass at a church in the town of Novorossiysk in the southern Krasnodar region near the Black Sea when it fell to the floor.
A church spokesman said the patriarch injured his back as security guards nearby and other bishops were unable to respond in time to stop his fall.
The patriarch tried to laugh at the fall and justified himself by saying that everything happened from the slide.
"The fact that I fell today does not mean anything. Only the floor is wonderful, you can see yourself in it, it is so bright and smooth. "When water is poured on it, even if it is sacred, then the laws of physics come into play," he told the faithful.