Orthodox church sends medieval prince’s remains to Russian troops in Ukraine
Church officials said the relic will strengthen soldiers and support military objectives as it is taken to frontline positions.
- The Russian Orthodox Church has dispatched a reliquary containing a fragment of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, a 14th-century medieval prince, to Russian forces engaged in the conflict in Ukraine, where the remains are touring military bases.
- Moscow has invoked religious symbolism to portray its cause as "righteous" since the 2022 invasion, following an earlier decision to send relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky to the front lines.
- The Moscow Patriarchate stated the "saint commander" would invisibly stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Russian soldiers, with the reliquary brought to the Savur-Mohyla war memorial in Russia-occupied Donetsk for a prayer service.
- Alexander Zanemonets, an Orthodox priest and historian, called the discovery a "cynical calculation" and exploitation of Christianity for "patriotic" purposes, arguing the church supports official state narratives.
- Away from the front, only about 2% of baptized Orthodox believers in Russia regularly practice their faith, while the Russian Orthodox Church relies on Kremlin funding and political backing to maintain its influence.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Russia has begun sending Christian relics, including the remains of medieval princes, to the front in Ukraine. According to CNN, the goal is both to support the Russian military and to strengthen the religious justification for the war. In early September, part of the right hand of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, presented in Russia as the winner of the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, was delivered to the front line. Representatives of the Moscow Patriarchat…
More than four years since the start of the war, Russia appears to have exhausted every means to show that it is fighting a "just war," writes CNN.
While Russian troops on the eastern front of Ukraine are preparing to endure a new winter, an unusual form of support comes to them: the remains of a warrior prince who fought for Moscow over six centuries ago, reports CNN. A fragment of the remains of Dmitri Donskoi, a cneaz celebrated in Russia...
RUSSIA is sending the remains of medieval prince Dmitry Donskoy to the Ukrainian battlefield in a bid to boost soldiers' morale and justify the war, demonstrating the close ties between the Kremlin and the Orthodox Church.
Why Russia is sending dead princes and saints into battle
As Russian troops on the front lines of eastern Ukraine are digging in for another winter, they are receiving an unusual form of support: the remains of a warrior prince who fought for Moscow more than six centuries ago. A fragment of the remains of Dmitry Donskoy, a prince celebrated in Russia for his victory …
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