On September 1, 2026, after the completion of the Divine Liturgy at the Don Stavropol Monastery in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived at the Central Clinical Hospital of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, where he visited Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovka and Slavyansk, who was undergoing treatment. His Holiness was accompanied by Bishop Alexy of Ramenskoye, His Holiness' personal secretary.
On August 23, the territory of the Epiphany Cathedral in Gorlovka was attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as a result of a drone strike, Metropolitan Mitrofan was injured. Vladyka received qualified medical care on the spot, and is currently undergoing treatment in Moscow. 
At the entrance to the hospital building, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was met by A.Y. Zarov, Director and Chief Physician of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization of the Central Clinical Hospital of St. Alexy, and V.R. Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media. 
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill proceeded to Metropolitan Mitrofan's ward, where he warmly welcomed him.: "I'm glad to see you alive—that's the most important thing. And with the help of our experienced doctors, the wounds will heal, everything will fall into place, and everything will return to normal. And you will continue your ministry, which is very important for that place." 
Metropolitan Mitrofan sincerely thanked the Primate for his support: he felt it especially acutely immediately after the operation, when he learned that His Holiness the Patriarch had called and was interested in his condition. His Eminence noted that the attention of his fellow archpastors and the feeling of belonging to a large church family gave him great strength, and called His Holiness' visit one of the most memorable days in his biography. 
His Holiness highly appreciated the courage and fidelity to the faith of Metropolitan Mitrofan, calling his experience a confessional: "Thank you for your courage, calmness and keeping faith. The Lord guides each of us in his own way. But your ministry in Gorlovka has already been marked by a remarkable pastoral approach to people at a time when such an attack came. In a sense, everything that has happened to you is a confession. You have been brought to such a state because you are in the right position, on the right side of history, against which all these demons are rebelling, who want to tear Holy Russia apart and weaken the Orthodox faith."
In his story, Metropolitan Mitrofan described in detail the circumstances of the attack. On that day, an office for the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission was being set up on the territory of the cathedral, and Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service, arrived to consecrate the premises. About fifteen volunteers from different cities gathered at the service to receive letters of thanks. At the end of the prayer service, a drone hovered over the congregation. The metropolitan twice loudly ordered people to run in different directions, because he understood that there were only a few seconds for salvation. He was the last one to go outside and saw that the drone was coming straight at him. The driver of the car tried to evade the attack, and the metropolitan, realizing that he did not have time to hide, tried to bounce as far as possible from the crash site of the drone, which exploded exactly in the place where he was standing. His Eminence stressed that it was a targeted attack. 
Concluding the conversation, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said: "The Lord has saved you from death. That's a fact. Because they could have made sure that nothing was left alive. I am deeply convinced that this will not cause any harm to your physical or spiritual health." The primate wished Vladyka God's help and strength. 
After the meeting, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had a brief conversation with the medical staff in the courtyard of the hospital.