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 deployment along the frontline. Church officials stated the relic would help soldiers achieve victory and spiritually strengthen those fighting in the region.
The fragment arrived at the Saur-Mogila war memorial in Russian-occupied Donetsk, where senior Orthodox clergy conducted a prayer service with Russian military representatives. The Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol indicated the relic’s presence would assist soldiers and civilians in mobilizing their strength against opposing forces.
Donskoy’s remains were formally uncovered only last month during restoration work at the Cathedral of the Archangel within the Kremlin complex. Putin attended the ceremony marking the discovery, which critics argued departed from established religious protocol, as the prince had been canonized in 1988 without prior exhumation efforts. An Orthodox priest and historian suggested the decision to uncover the relics appeared driven by wartime considerations rather than standard religious practice.
The deployment represents the latest instance of the Russian Orthodox Church’s involvement in the military campaign. Since the full-scale invasion began, the church hierarchy has become integrated into the war effort, with priests assigned to military units and churches instructed to offer prayers for victory. Earlier in the year, relics of Alexander Nevsky, another medieval military figure, were similarly sent to the front.
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