Amid the Russian army's losses, the Russian Orthodox Church rushed to the front lines with a Christian relic

Priests of the Russian Orthodox Church conducted a so-called aerial procession over the Donbas carrying the relics of St. George the Victorious. To do so, they used a military helicopter and flew over sections of the front lines in the Kupiansk and Lyman sectors, where the Russian “West” group is operating. This was reported by the military department of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The flyover took place against the backdrop of territorial losses by the Russian army in Donbas. According to estimates by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in September and during the first three weeks of October, Russian troops lost control of 241 km² of territory. In particular, they lost a salient near Lyman, and during the offensive on Sloviansk, their forces faced the threat of encirclement.

The Russian Orthodox Church stated that Russian soldiers allegedly have a “prayer shield” and the intercession of the holy warriors. It also emphasized that the tradition of consecrating the country’s borders with holy sites has existed for many centuries. The video of the flight is accompanied by a song based on verses by Priest Georgy Dekhtyarev about faith and prayer during wartime.

This is reported by Russian propaganda media.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church stated that God determines the victors in wars.

In addition, Russian Patriarch Kirill complained about Ukraine to all religious and state leaders around the world.

In Ukraine, charges were filed against a metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church who justified the war.