In early September, the Russian Orthodox Church dispatched a fragment of Prince Dmitry Donskoy's right hand to military bases in occupied eastern Ukraine. The Moscow Patriarchate frames the medieval prince's presence as spiritual reinforcement for soldiers fighting in the ongoing conflict.
The 1380 Battle of Kulikovo as a Modern Mobilizing Myth
By invoking Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a leader celebrated for his 1380 victory at the Battle of Kulikovo, the Russian state is attempting to frame the invasion of Ukraine as a defensive necessity. According to religious scholar Sergei Chapnin, the prince is presented not as an aggressor but as a defender of the fatherland, creating a "mobilizing myth" that connects the current war to historical struggles for survival. This narrative allows the Kremlin to portray the conflict as divinely sanctioned, effectively merging the interests of the state with the sacred imagery of the cuhrch.
This strategy reflects a broader trend of using religious symbolism to sustain morale during a bloody war of attrition. As reported by CNN, the Russian Orthodox Church has practically merged with the state, using the combination of material relics and sacred history to attract attention and fuel state propaganda... By presenting the remains of Dmitry Donskoy as a "magical artifact," the Moscow Patriarchate seeks to provide soldiers with a sense of invisible, supernatural support on the battlefield.
Patriarch Kirill and the 2% of Practicing Believers
The deployment of relics occurs despite a significant gap between cultural identity and actual religious practice in Russia. While a 2026 VCIOM telephone survey suggests about two-thirds of Russians identify as Orthodox Christians, data from the Russian Interior Ministry indicates that only about 2 percent of baptized believers regularly practice their faith. This disparity suggests that the state's reliance on religious imagery is less about deep piety and more about the performative power of national identity.
Historian Konstantin Mikhailov argues that this creates a "mutually reinforcing cycle" where the Kremlin provides money and political backing to the church in exchange for religious legitimacy. This alliance has led to an increase in military chaplains on the front lines and public displays of faith, such as the September religius processions in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. In Moscow alone, official figures claim more than 100,000 people participated in a procession led by Patriarch Kirill, where fragments of Donskoy's remains were carried through the streets.
The Kremlin's Archangel Cathedral Discovery and the Nevsky Precedent
The timing of the relic's dispatch follows a convenient discovery in August, when remains of Prince Dmitry Donskoy were uncovered during restoration work at the Kremlin's Archangel Cathedral. President Vladimir Putin described the recovery as an "absolutely unique and marvelous discovery," while Patriarch Kirill called it a sign of God's providence. This event follows a similar pattern seen earlier this year, when relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky, another warrior saint, were sent to troops in Ukraine.
However, the sudden appearance of these relics has raised eyebrows among critics . The discovery of Donskoy's remains occurred just weeks after unverified reports surfaced claiming that the relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky had been lost. For the Rev. Alexander Zanemonets, an Orthodox priest and historian, these events represent the "exploitation of Christianity" for patriotic purposes, suggesting that the church is making cynical calculations to align itself with the Kremlin's military goals.
Who actually believes in the 'magical artifact' at the front?
Despite the official narrative of spiritual triumph, the reception of these relics among the rank-and-file soldiers is mixed. While some soldiers in the Zaporizhzhia region told CNN that touching holy objects provides serious moral support, others are more skeptical. One serviceman in the Donbas region described the use of medieval bones as a "very unconventional solution" to 21st-century problems, suggesting that such relics are more useful to the grieving mothers of fallen soldiers than to those still fighting.
This divide highlights a critical unknown: the actual extent to which religious relics influence soldier morale versus how much they serve as a propaganda tool for the home front. While the Russian Orthodox Church claims that a soldier who dies in military duty has their sins washed away, critics like the Rev. Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko warn that such teachings lead soldiers into a dangerous illusion. The conflict also underscores a deep schism in the faith, as the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine continues to distance itseelf from the Moscow Patriarchate, which now blesses soldiers on both sides of the front to kill one another.
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