Russian Orthodox Church sends medieval prince’s bone fragments to Ukraine front to boost morale
The Russian Orthodox Church has sent bone fragments from the right hand of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval warrior prince who defeated the Mongols in 1380, to the front lines in Ukraine to boost troop morale. The remains were discovered during restoration at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Archangel and inspected by President Vladimir Putin in August. The relic will be shown to combat units along the 1,000-km front, particularly in Donetsk, as part of a public relations effort ahead of parliamentary elections. Critics accuse the Church of breaking religious protocol to support the Kremlin’s war.
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Russia sends bone fragments of medieval prince to Ukraine front to boost morale
The Russian Orthodox Church has sent bone fragments from the sword hand of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval warrior prince who defeated the Mongols in 1380, to the front lines in Ukraine to boost troop morale. The remains were discovered during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel and inspected by President Vladimir Putin in August. The relic, held in a small ornate casket, will be shown to Russian combat units along the front line, particularly in the Donetsk region. The effort is part of a carefully choreographed public relations exercise to boost patriotism ahead of a parliamentary election and as Russian forces seek full control of Donetsk. Senior Kremlin official Sergei Kiriyenko and military commanders participated in a ceremony in Donetsk kissing the relic. Critics, including Orthodox priest and historian Alexander Zanemonets, have accused the Church of breaking religious protocol to please the Kremlin, noting the timing of the discovery 38 years after Donskoy was declared a saint.
Read sourceRussia sends bone fragments of medieval Prince Dmitry Donskoy to Ukraine front to boost morale
The Russian Orthodox Church has sent bone fragments from the right hand of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval warrior prince who defeated the Mongols in 1380, to the front lines in Ukraine to boost troop morale. The remains were discovered during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel this summer and were personally inspected by President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the find as unique. The relic, held in a small ornate casket, will be shown to Russian combat units along the 1,000-km front line, particularly in the Donetsk region. The move is part of a carefully choreographed public relations effort ahead of parliamentary elections and as Russian forces seek full control of Donetsk. Critics accuse the Church of breaking religious protocol to support the Kremlin's war, now in its fifth year. The Church has previously sent priests to the front, instituted mandatory prayers for victory, and flown icons over cities. Donskoy, declared a saint in 1988, also lent his name to a Soviet tank column in World War Two.
Read sourceRussia sends bone fragments of medieval Prince Dmitry Donskoy to Ukraine front to boost morale
The Russian Orthodox Church has sent bone fragments from the right hand of medieval Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy to the front lines in Ukraine to boost troop morale. Donskoy, who defeated the Mongol Golden Horde in 1380, is revered by Russian nationalists. His remains were uncovered during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel this summer, and President Vladimir Putin personally inspected them in August. The relic, held in a small ornate casket, will be shown to Russian combat units along the 1,000-km front line. The effort is part of a carefully choreographed public relations exercise ahead of parliamentary elections and as Russian forces seek full control of the Donetsk region. Critics accuse the Church of breaking religious protocol to please the Kremlin, noting the remains were known for decades but only now venerated. The Church has previously sent priests to the front, instituted mandatory prayers for victory, and flown icons over cities.
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Russia sends bone fragments of medieval prince to Ukraine front to boost morale
The Russian Orthodox Church has sent bone fragments from the sword hand of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval prince who defeated the Mongols in 1380, to the front line in Ukraine to boost troop morale. The remains were discovered during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel, and President Vladimir Putin inspected them in August, calling the find 'absolutely unique and marvellous.' The relic, held in a small casket, will be shown to Russian combat units along the 1,000-km front line. The move is part of a carefully choreographed public relations effort ahead of a parliamentary election and as Russian forces seek full control of the Donetsk region. Critics have accused the Church of breaking religious protocol to please the Kremlin and questioned why the remains were venerated only now, 38 years after Donskoy was declared a saint. Alexander Zanemonets, an Orthodox priest and historian, noted that the Church had already sent priests to the front, instituted mandatory prayers for victory, and flown icons over cities, suggesting the state is compelling all institutions to participate in the war.
Russia sends bone fragments of medieval Prince Dmitry Donskoy to Ukraine front to boost morale
The Russian Orthodox Church has sent bone fragments from the right hand of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a medieval warrior prince who defeated the Mongols in 1380, to the front lines in Ukraine to boost troop morale. The remains were discovered during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel and personally inspected by President Vladimir Putin in August 2026. The relic, held in a small ornate casket, will be shown to Russian combat units along the 1,000-km front line, particularly in the Donetsk region. The move is part of a carefully choreographed public relations effort ahead of parliamentary elections and as the war enters its fifth year. Senior Kremlin official Sergei Kiriyenko participated in a ceremony in Donetsk where the relic was kissed by military commanders. Critics accuse the Church of breaking religious protocol to please the Kremlin, noting the remains were known for decades but only now venerated. The Church has previously sent priests to the front, instituted mandatory prayers for victory, and flown icons over cities.