Two years after invading Ukraine, Russia continues its propaganda and increasingly involves the Orthodox Church.
On the Donbass front, TF1’s 20H followed a priest who ministers to the soldiers.
In Moscow, another shares the prayer he is now forced to recite that affirms that Russia is the country under attack.
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More than two years of war in Ukraine
Holy water sprinkled on an armored vehicle and a prayer said on the forehead. As the war in Ukraine bogs down, Russia relies on the Orthodox Church to support its propaganda. First in Donbass, where the fighting is the deadliest, TF1’s 8 p.m. followed Piotr Grisenko, a priest working with Russian soldiers.
In front of our camera, as shown in the report visible at the top of this article, he sprinkles holy water on the soldiers and their vehicle and prays for them. “Each object can be blessed or sacred, the goal is that the soldiers inside remain alive even if the armored vehicle is hit”, explains the priest. The one who joined the pro-Russian separatists ten years ago then takes us several meters underground, where a chapel has been set up.
Like every day, it is crowded with soldiers gathered to pray. The priest also distributes them badges with an icon of Christ and an Orthodox cross to place on their uniform. “These badges will protect you, as they protected other soldiers,” Pyotr Grisenko assures them. That day, two Russian soldiers were also baptized, a common practice before a battle. “We don’t live long here, but we will live forever up there”assures the religious. “It is believed that God, for the exploits here on earth, will welcome the souls of Russian soldiers into his heavenly kingdom.”
“Christ has conquered hell and Russia will conquer”, assures a propaganda poster
The mobilization of the Orthodox Church is also required far from the battlefield. In Moscow, posters ordered by the Ministry of the Armed Forces and posted in the streets proclaim, for example “Christ has conquered hell and Russia will conquer”, “I believe in myself. I believe in God. I believe in victory”or :“If God is with us, who is against us?” Messages with overtones of holy war, a war against “satanism” of the West, in the words used by Vladimir Putin.
In the street, residents are mixed with these propaganda posters. “I find it good, the Orthodox religion unites us against fascism and nationalism,” advances a passerby. “We should not mix religion and war“, on the contrary believes another. “According to the holy gospels, priests should call for peace”adds a third person.
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This message is also found in parishes across the country, where priests have new obligations. By virtue of a decree, the prayer for the victory of Holy Russia must be recited. This is aligned with the official political discourse and asserts that Russia is the attacked country.
“This prayer explains that those who wage war are fighting against Holy Russia, they want to divide our people”explains priest Alexander Borisov. “In my parish, I would say that 80% of the faithful appreciate this prayer and share the current policy, and 20% think that Russia made a mistake, that it attacked and assaulted Ukraine.” But the effect of these speeches is difficult to measure, because if 72% of the Russian population declares themselves Orthodox, less than 2% are practicing.
