Sevastopol officials reported a decrease in UAV attacks following the arrival of General Donskoy
Following the arrival of the reliquary containing the remains of St. Dmitry Donskoy, the Righteous Grand Prince, at the Holy Vladimir Chersonese Monastery in Sevastopol, the frequency of daytime attacks by Ukrainian drones has reportedly decreased.
In recent days, the number of drone raids and air raid alerts in the city has decreased.
“It’s truly strange: over the past few days, there have been fewer UAV strikes and fewer air raid alerts issued as a result. That is a fact. We do not seek to link miraculous events to the surrounding reality in any way; we approach this with caution above all else. However, we truly feel the intercession of Dmitry Donskoy,” noted Father Siluan.
At the same time, the priest’s statement does not confirm a cause-and-effect relationship between the presence of the relics and the intensity of the attacks.
The reliquary containing the relics of Dmitry Donskoy arrived at St. Vladimir’s Cathedral in Chersonesos on the evening of September 17, 2026. The shrine was opened to the public on September 18 and 19, after which the reliquary was transported out of Sevastopol.
According to Russian church sources, there were plans to move the reliquary containing a portion of the relics between churches and military facilities for worship by the faithful. Previously, a portion of the relics had been transferred from the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin to separate reliquaries.
In July 2026, during restoration and emergency repair work at the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, a sarcophagus was discovered which, according to Russian historians and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, belongs to Dmitry Donskoy.
Restorers discovered three white-stone sarcophagi, including the burial sites of Dmitry Donskoy, his father Ivan Krasny, and Prince Dmitry Zhilka of Uglich. According to the Russian Orthodox Church, tests confirmed that the remains belong to Dmitry Donskoy.
On August 18, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia led a prayer service at the relics and gave his blessing for several fragments to be placed in reliquaries for future veneration.
On August 20, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, where he participated in a prayer service at the relics of Dmitry Donskoy. The event was led by Metropolitan Pavel, the patriarchal vicar of the Moscow Metropolis.
According to reports from the Russian side, the prince’s remains have been preserved almost entirely, with the exception of the left calcaneus. Information regarding the identification of the remains as those of Dmitry Donskoy is based on reports from Russian ecclesiastical and scientific institutions.
This was stated by Archimandrite Siluan (Pasenko), the dean of the monastery.
The Russian Orthodox Church has decided to use part of the remains of Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy during a religious procession that will take place in Moscow on September 6. The prince’s relics, discovered this year in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, will be carried through the city in a special reliquary.
Earlier, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow proposed a legislative ban on women in registered marriages having abortions without their husbands’ consent.
