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I'm Maxim Polyakov, a correspondent for the online magazine '7x7'.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has played a prominent role in justifying the war. Under the ROC’s direction, priests across the country pray for Russia’s victory and turn parishioners against Ukrainians, while Patriarch Kirill has described the war as "sacred." Clergy members also organize religious processions with icons, believing they will shield Russian soldiers — continuing a tradition that has existed for centuries. Historically, priests have conducted these processions during wars and epidemics, asking God for protection. According to legends, these acts often caused enemies to retreat or abandon their plans to capture Russian cities. In this newsletter, I’ll explain what modern clergy claim to be "saving" Russian regions from and why their actions amount to manipulation. Spoiler alert: some processions have allegedly protected the country from natural disasters and even abortions.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Processions Against Ukrainian Incursion and the Consequences of War

On August 6, 2024, Ukrainian forces attacked Kursk Oblast and seized several settlements in the region. Local residents believed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were targeting the town of Kurchatov, home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. On August 20, priests brought two icons of the Mother of God — the Kurskaya Korennaya (also known as the Theotokos of Kursk, Found Among the Roots) and the Pryazhevskaya — to the town. They held a prayer service and a religious procession with the icons. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church invited local residents to venerate the icons with “their aspirations and hopes for a swift victory and protection.”

Clergy from the neighboring Bryansk Oblast also organized a religious procession against the “enemy invasion.” On September 1, they toured Bryansk with the Svensk-Pechersk Icon of the Mother of God, praying for the salvation of the country and the region. Just a week and a half earlier, on August 22, 2024, Ukrainian forces had attempted to breach the border of Bryansk Oblast. Representatives of the Bryansk Diocese claimed that, in 1812, Napoleon’s army retreated from Bryansk after a procession with the icon. Since 2000, this event has been held annually.

Social media users mocked the religious procession in Bryansk. In response, Vakhtang Kipshidze, head of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society, accused them of being detached from the country’s historical and spiritual heritage. According to Kipshidze, Orthodox believers are confident that “the attack will be repelled.”

In Rostov Oblast, a prayer service was held against the fire at the oil depot in Proletarsk. The facility caught fire on the night of August 18, 2024, due to debris from a downed drone. On August 20, priests brought an icon of the Mother of God to a field near the oil depot and read an Akathist hymn. At a chapel near the Proletarsk District hospital, they prayed for the health of the firefighters injured while extinguishing the fire. The fuel warehouses burned for more than two weeks, until September 2.

In May, archpriest Andrey Tkachev, a host on the Tsargrad TV channel, advised Belgorod Oblast residents to create a "prayer frenzy" during shelling. He suggested they pray, hold processions, recite the Psalms, and kneel so that "the Lord would have mercy on [the border village of] Tyotkino, [the town of] Shebekino, Belgorod, and the surrounding areas." In response, the Belgorod Metropolis invited Tkachev to join the prayers that residents “offer up under the sounds of air raid sirens.”

Against COVID-19

In 2020, Patriarch Kirill prayed against COVID-19 and toured Moscow with the Eleusa Icon. Following this, various regions held processions against the "malicious pestilence."

In Kurgan Oblast, a priest claimed that fear of COVID-19 weakens the immune system, and described the religious procession as a prayer for the strength of doctors, those infected, and those who are "fearful and doubtful." In Pskov Oblast, about 50 clergy and parishioners participated in a procession despite a ban on mass gatherings.

In Krasnoturyinsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast, one procession did not reduce the number of cases, so priests made a second round through the town, sprinkling holy water at all entrances. In Primorsky Krai, clergy took a motorboat with the Theotokos of Port Arthur around the maritime area of Vladivostok and later toured the city by car.

Against Road Accidents

In 2011, priests marched through the most dangerous stretches of roads in Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

In April 2024, the R-22 "Caspian" Highway in Ryazan Oblast was sprinkled with holy water. However, between May and June, the number of fatal accidents on the road increased by 14.3%, totaling 48 deaths.

Against Natural Disasters

In September 2003, the Republic of Altai experienced the strongest earthquake in Russia in 150 years, affecting nearly 1,900 homes but, fortunately, with no fatalities. A month later, local priests and parishioners walked through the streets of Gorno-Altaysk, offering prayers for protection from earthquakes and other natural disasters.

In August 2019, Metropolitan Sergiy of Altai Krai flew over the region in a helicopter, sprinkling holy water over the forests to protect them from wildfires. This was done at the request of the regional Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology.

Against Abortions

In 2013, priests from Nizhny Novgorod Oblast organized a procession in support of “childbearing” under the slogan “For Life Without Abortions.” According to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), women in the region underwent 4,700 abortions that year. By 2023, this number had dropped to 2,700.

In 2016, residents of Livny, Oryol Oblast, gathered signatures to ban abortions and held a “Pro-Life” event, supported by Bishop Nektary of Livny. Clergy and activists organized a “penitential” religious procession.

In Saint Petersburg, anti-abortion processions were held on multiple occasions. In 2023, pro-life activists sailed through the city's rivers and canals on riverboats and motorboats. Meanwhile, a priest prayed for an end to “infanticide,” as Orthodox activists carried icons. They later floated a two-meter wreath adorned with lanterns, depicting an embryo in the womb, with the inscription “Thou shalt not kill.”

In Lieu of a Conclusion

Orthodox priests have long embedded themselves in the Kremlin’s power structure and learned to interpret signals from the authorities. In the event of a flood or wildfire, they would explain to parishioners during religious processions that it was nature's fault, not that of the officials who had failed to protect citizens. When the state launched its campaign against abortions, they echoed the message, claiming that even God opposes terminating pregnancies, and that they must prevent women from committing "infanticide." Now, the time has come to justify the killing of Ukrainian citizens.

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