The Russian Orthodox church has sent a reliquary containing part of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, a 14th-century prince, to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Church officials stated that the relic would “spiritually strengthen” soldiers and assist them in achieving victory. The reliquary was brought to the Savur-Mohyla war memorial in the Donetsk region, where Orthodox clergy conducted a prayer service alongside Russian military representatives.
The Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol said the presence of the relic would help soldiers and civilians “mobilise their strength” and secure victory. The Russian Orthodox church’s Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly portrayed the conflict in Ukraine in religious terms since the full-scale invasion began. Since that time, the church hierarchy has become deeply integrated into the Russian war effort, with priests assigned to military units and churches across Russia instructed to recite prayers for victory.
Donskoy’s relics were uncovered last month during restoration work at the Cathedral of the Archangel inside the Kremlin, where Russian princes and tsars are buried. President Putin attended the ceremony marking the discovery. The decision to open the tomb has drawn criticism from some who argue the church deviated from religious protocol, particularly given that Donskoy was canonized decades earlier and his burial location had long been known.
According to Alexander Zanemonets, an Orthodox priest and historian, the timing of the relic’s removal appeared linked to wartime patriotism. He noted that the portrayal of Donskoy as a homeland defender aligns with the Kremlin’s framing of the conflict as a defensive operation. Earlier in the year, relics of Alexander Nevsky, another medieval military figure revered by the Russian Orthodox church, were similarly sent to the front.
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