Camilla Jessen
Putin brands Ukraine war a ‘holy mission’ at Christmas.
President Vladimir Putin used a traditional Orthodox Christmas service to frame Russia’s war in Ukraine as a sacred national duty.
According to Reuters, Putin attended an old-style Christmas service at the Church of St. George the Victorious near Moscow. Russian Orthodox Christmas is marked with late-night services that draw worshippers from multiple dioceses.
Video footage showed Putin wearing a dark suit without a tie, standing among uniformed soldiers, their spouses and children, as priests conducted the liturgy. At one point during the service, a Christmas ornament fell from a tree, which Putin picked up and rehung.
Sacred language
After the service, Putin praised Russian troops and cast their role in religious terms.
“Russia’s warriors have always fulfilled, as if it were the Lord’s command, this mission of defending the Fatherland and its people, saving the Fatherland and its people,” he said.
“In Russia, people have always looked upon their warriors as those who, as if it were the Lord’s command, fulfill this holy mission,” he added.
The comments echoed long-standing Kremlin narratives portraying the war as a defensive and historic struggle.
Church and state
In a Christmas message published earlier on the Kremlin website, Putin praised the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations for reinforcing social unity and safeguarding Russia’s historical and cultural heritage, Reuters reported.
He said religious organisations were focused on mercy and charity, helping those in need and supporting soldiers and veterans of what Moscow describes as a “special military operation.”
“Such important and necessary work deserves the most sincere recognition,” Putin said.
War-time tradition
Putin has attended Orthodox Christmas services regularly since 2000, often at small ceremonies. Before the war, these were sometimes held outside Moscow.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, however, he has more frequently marked the holiday near the capital, including at his official residence in Novo Ogaryovo, according to Reuters.
Sources: Reuters
