The Russian Orthodox Church transported a reliquary containing part of the remains of Dmitry Donskoy, a 14th-century prince, to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine for use among military forces. The reliquary was brought to the Savur-Mohyla war memorial in the Donetsk region, where senior Orthodox clergy conducted a prayer service alongside Russian military representatives.
Church officials stated that the relic would provide spiritual reinforcement to soldiers and civilians in the conflict zone. The Russian-installed Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol indicated that the relic’s presence would help those in the region mobilize their strength and achieve victory. Church leadership framed the relic’s deployment in religious terms aligned with the military effort.
Donskoy’s remains were uncovered during restoration work at the Cathedral of the Archangel in the Kremlin earlier this year. The prince, who was canonized in 1988, had not been previously exhumed despite the known location of his burial site. Critics noted the church’s decision to open the centuries-old tomb represented a departure from established religious protocol.
The deployment reflects a broader pattern of Russian Orthodox Church involvement in the conflict since the full-scale invasion began. Church hierarchies have embedded themselves in the war effort through clergy deployment to military units and occupied territories, as well as directing churches across Russia to recite prayers requesting military victory. Similar deployments of relics have occurred earlier in the conflict, including those of Alexander Nevsky, another medieval military figure revered by the church.
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