The Russian Orthodox church transported a reliquary containing part of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, a 14th-century prince, to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine for use among military forces. Church officials stated that the relic would provide spiritual reinforcement to troops and assist in achieving victory. The reliquary was first brought to the Savur-Mohyla war memorial in the Donetsk region, where senior Orthodox clergy conducted a prayer service alongside Russian military representatives.
The Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol, an official appointed by Russian authorities, indicated that the relic’s presence would help soldiers and civilians mobilize their strength and secure success against opposing forces. This action represents another instance of the Russian Orthodox church’s active support for the Kremlin’s military operations in Ukraine, which Patriarch Kirill, the church’s leader, has characterized in religious terms.
Donskoy’s remains were discovered only last month during restoration work at the Cathedral of the Archangel in the Kremlin. Putin personally attended the ceremony marking the discovery. Some observers have questioned the church’s decision to open the centuries-old tomb, noting that the prince’s burial location had been known for generations and that the church had made no previous attempt to exhume his remains after his canonization in 1988. Alexander Zanemonets, an Orthodox priest and historian, suggested the timing appeared connected to wartime considerations, with church leadership seeking additional ways to demonstrate support for military operations.
Zanemonets noted that depicting Donskoy as a defender of the homeland aligned with the Kremlin’s stated position that Russia was conducting a defensive military operation rather than an invasion. Earlier in the year, relics of Alexander Nevsky, another medieval military figure revered by the Orthodox church, were similarly transported to the front.
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