Russia's Patriarch Kirill presides over Orthodox Christmas mass

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, on Tuesday presided over a mass celebrating Orthodox Christmas at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Kirill during the ceremony.

Kirill told a crowd of believers that their prayer must be especially strong for Russia, which has challenged many great and powerful, arguing that this is not a challenge associated with the use or threat of use of some nuclear weapons, but a defence of an alternative path of civilizational development.