Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Yep, you read that headline correctly.
When you are locked in a war of attrition in its fifth year with your casualties now exceeding 1.5 million and a struggling economy, what do you do to boost morale among the troops?
Sending a piece of a 14th-century prince is probably not high on the list of suggestions, but that is exactly what the Russian Orthodox Church has just done.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the church has sent a reliquary containing a piece of the right hand of the medieval ruler of Moscow, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, to the troops fighting in Ukraine in order to show spiritual support for the troops.
Military officials brought the relic to a church at the Saur-Mohyla memorial site in occupied Donetsk. Clergy held a prayer service before moving the remains closer to the front lines.
Church representatives stated the relic would provide spiritual strength for the soldiers. According to RIA Novosti, the church declared that “the holy commander is going to where the fate of the Fatherland is being decided today, to invisibly stand in the same battle line with our defenders.”
The post says:
“On the Day of the Liberation of Donbas from Nazi German invaders, a reliquary containing the relics of the holy right-believing Prince Dmitry Donskoy was delivered to the church at the Saur-Mohyla memorial complex in the DPR.”
DPR is an abbreviation for the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Ancient military symbol
Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol emphasized the timing of the visit. Russian news agency TASS reported his remarks on how the arrival would help soldiers and civilians mobilize their efforts to achieve victory over the enemy.
“Both our military personnel and the people who live in Donbas need strengthening from above, need God’s help and the blessing of our saints,” Metropolitan Vladimir said. He added that the moment was deeply symbolic and important.
Dmitry Donskoy ruled Moscow during the 14th century and led forces against the Golden Horde at the 1380 Battle of Kulikovo. The church canonized him four centuries later, in 1988.
Church pushing for Soviet rules
The move comes alongside other conservative pushes from church leadership.
Recently United24 Media reported that a senior official suggested reviving Stalin-era divorce restrictions to combat Russia’s falling birth rates, with the head of the Patriarchal Commission of Family Affairs arguing it could make it both more expensive and much harder to get divorced.
