As Russian troops prepare for another winter on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, the remains of a medieval warrior prince are being taken to Russian military bases in occupied parts of the country.
A fragment of Dmitry Donskoy, the Russian prince celebrated for his victory at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, was sent to the front in early September. The relic is now being moved between Russian military bases in occupied Ukraine.
The military department of the Moscow Patriarchate said the “saint commander” would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Russian soldiers. The fragment is reportedly part of Donskoy’s right hand, which the Russian Orthodox Church says was the same hand he used to wield his sword at Kulikovo.
The move reflects the increasingly close relationship between the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Religious symbols and historical figures have been used to reinforce Russia’s narrative about the war and portray its military campaign as a defence of the homeland.
“The church has practically merged with the state to the point of being indistinguishable,” Sergei Chapnin, a religious scholar and director of communications at Fordham University’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center, told CNN.
Why Dmitry Donskoy’s relics were sent to the front
The practice of taking religious relics to troops has a long history in Orthodox Christianity. But experts say Donskoy carries particular significance because of his association with Russia’s military history.
Chapnin said Donskoy is portrayed as a defender of the fatherland rather than an aggressor, allowing his medieval legacy to be connected with Russia’s current narrative about the Ukraine war.
“It is very important to show that Russia is not the aggressor, that we are defending our territory,” Chapnin said, describing the use of such historical narratives as “a mobilizing myth”.
Metropolitan Vladimir, the Russian-installed Orthodox leader in Donetsk and Mariupol, said the relic would help soldiers and civilians “mobilize both their spiritual and physical strength” and “triumph over the enemy”.
Donskoy is not the only medieval Russian ruler whose relics have been taken to troops. Earlier this year, relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky, another figure associated with Russian military history, were also brought to the front.
Relics uncovered at Kremlin cathedral
Donskoy’s remains were uncovered during restoration work at Moscow’s Archangel Cathedral in August. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the recovery as an “absolutely unique” and “marvelous discovery”.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, called it “a special sign of God’s providence”.
The discovery has also drawn criticism from some Orthodox figures. The Rev Alexander Zanemonets, an Orthodox priest and historian who left Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, said the use of the remains had “nothing to do with Christianity”.
He described it as the exploitation of Christianity and the Church for “patriotic” purposes.
How Russian soldiers view the religious support
The role of religion at the front is not limited to relics. Russian soldiers have described makeshift churches, prayers before missions and priests visiting military units and hospitals.
One former Russian serviceman told CNN: “Not all of us talk to God when things are going well, but everyone talks to God when things are bad.”
A Russian soldier serving in the Zaporizhzhia region described being able to pray, speak with a priest or touch a holy object as “serious moral support”.
However, not every soldier sees the relics as meaningful. One serviceman in Donbas called sending them to the front “a very unconventional solution to our problems in the 21st century”.
“My view is that they are needed more by the mothers of the guys who died in this military operation,” he said.
The debate comes as the war enters its fifth year, with the Russian Orthodox Church continuing to play a prominent role in Russia’s wartime religious and political messaging. Independent reporting has also documented the deployment of Donskoy’s relics to Russian troops in occupied Donetsk to boost morale.