Orthodox church sends medieval prince’s remains to Russian troops in Ukraine
Part of Dmitry Donskoy’s right hand sent to ‘spiritually strengthen’ soldiers
TL;DR
- A fragment of Dmitry Donskoy's right hand, a medieval Russian prince, has been sent to Russian troops in Ukraine.
- The relic is intended to spiritually strengthen soldiers and aid them in achieving victory.
- The reliquary was taken to the Saur-Mogila war memorial in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
- This action is seen as an example of the Russian Orthodox church's strong support for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.
- Priests have been integrated into military units, and churches have been instructed to pray for victory since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
- Donskoy's relics were recently unearthed during restoration work at the Kremlin, a ceremony attended by Vladimir Putin.
- Critics have accused the church of breaking religious protocol by opening the tomb.
- The decision to display the relics is seen by some as driven by wartime patriotism and the need to demonstrate support for the 'special military operation'.
- Relics of another medieval prince, Alexander Nevsky, were also previously sent to the front.