The Russian Orthodox Church transported a reliquary containing part of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval prince from the 14th century, to Russian-occupied territory in eastern Ukraine for frontline distribution among military forces. The church characterized the relic as intended to “spiritually strengthen” soldiers and aid them in achieving victory. The reliquary was initially brought to the Savur-Mohyla war memorial in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, where Orthodox clergy and Russian military representatives conducted a prayer service.
The remains of Donskoy, who is revered in Russia for military victories and was canonized in 1988, were formally uncovered during restoration work at the Cathedral of the Archangel inside the Kremlin earlier this year. The discovery marked the first formal exhumation of the prince’s remains since his canonization, despite the location of his burial having been long known. The Russian-installed Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol indicated that the relic’s presence would help soldiers and civilians “mobilise their strength” in pursuit of victory.
The relic’s deployment represents a broader pattern of the Russian Orthodox Church’s institutional involvement in the ongoing military conflict. Church leadership has instructed clergy to be stationed with military units and in occupied territories, while directing churches throughout Russia to recite prayers seeking divine assistance for military success. Some observers have noted that the timing of the relic’s exhumation and deployment aligns with sustained efforts to demonstrate the church’s support for the military campaign, with the characterization of Donskoy as a homeland defender reinforcing official narratives about the nature of the conflict.
This action follows a similar initiative earlier in the year involving relics of Alexander Nevsky, another medieval military figure venerated within the Russian Orthodox tradition. Critics have raised concerns about whether the church’s actions conform to established religious protocols governing the handling of canonized remains.
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