The Russian Orthodox Church has transferred a reliquary containing part of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval prince from the 14th century, to Russian military forces operating in eastern Ukraine. Church officials stated that the relic was intended to provide spiritual reinforcement to soldiers and contribute to achieving victory in the conflict. The reliquary was initially brought to the Savur-Mohyla war memorial in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, where Orthodox clergy conducted a prayer service alongside military representatives.
The Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol, an Orthodox leader installed by Russian authorities, indicated that the relic’s presence would assist soldiers and civilians in mobilizing their strength and securing victory against adversary forces. This action represents another instance of Russian Orthodox Church involvement in the military campaign, which Church Patriarch Kirill has framed in religious terminology. Since the commencement of large-scale military operations in February 2022, the church hierarchy has become significantly integrated into the war effort, with priests deployed to military units and occupied territories, and instructions issued to churches across Russia to recite prayers for military success.
Donskoy’s remains were discovered only in recent weeks during restoration activities at the Cathedral of the Archangel within the Kremlin, a burial site for historical Russian rulers. Putin attended the ceremony commemorating the discovery, reflecting his established relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church developed over more than two decades in power. Some observers have questioned whether the church followed proper religious protocols in opening the centuries-old tomb, noting that the burial location had been known but remained undisturbed since Donskoy’s canonization in 1988.
Orthodox priest and historian Alexander Zanemonets suggested that the decision to exhume the relics appeared motivated by wartime patriotic considerations. He proposed that the characterization of Donskoy as a defender of the homeland aligned with the Russian government’s framing of its military actions as defensive rather than aggressive. Similarly, relics associated with Alexander Nevsky, another medieval military figure venerated by the Russian Orthodox Church, were sent to the front earlier in the year.
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