Moscow Patriarchate incorporates Russian state’s military narrative into religious life

In a recent article for Carnegie Politika, historian Alexander Zanemonets examines the increasingly close relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine. He argues that the Moscow Patriarchate has progressively incorporated the Russian state’s military and patriotic narrative into its religious life, weakening the distinction between the Church’s spiritual mission and the political objectives of the state.

Zanemonets focuses on the recent uncovering of the relics of St. Dmitry Donskoy, the medieval prince celebrated for his military victories, and the decision to send a fragment of those relics to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. He sees the episode as part of a broader effort to deploy Orthodox saints, relics, icons, prayers, and clergy in support of the war and to portray Russia’s military campaign as a defense of the homeland.

The article places this practice within a longer Russian tradition of using historical and religious figures as symbols of national struggle. Zanemonets draws parallels with the Soviet promotion of St. Alexander Nevsky during World War II and notes that Dmitry Donskoy himself became associated with wartime…