Russian forces reportedly lose Saint Dmitry Donskoy relics during Lyman retreat in Donetsk

Shelling disrupts frontline prayer service

Russian troops reportedly abandoned fragments of the relics of Saint Dmitry Donskoy during a retreat near Lyman in the Donetsk region. The incident was reported on Russian military Telegram channels, including Alex Parker and Kremlin Tabakerka, and cited by The Moscow Times. According to those reports, Ukrainian artillery targeted a location where Russian officers had gathered to hold an Orthodox prayer service. The bombardment forced the officers to flee rapidly and leave the reliquary behind as Ukrainian units closed in on their positions.

The Russian Orthodox Church denied that any sacred items were lost on the front line. Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy head of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and Mass Media, described the claims as an unfounded rumor.

“This is a fabrication, spread, one can assume, with anti-clerical intentions.”

Kremlin opening of Dmitry Donskoy sarcophagus

The deployment of the medieval prince's relics followed a public ceremony in Moscow in July 2026. Restorers working in the Moscow Kremlin opened the sarcophagus of Dmitry Donskoy inside the Cathedral of the Archangel. Donskoy, who ruled as Grand Prince of Moscow and Vladimir, was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988 for his role in defeating the Golden Horde under Mamai at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. Following the opening of the tomb, church leaders announced the discovery of his remains and approved sending portions to Russian combat units in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the cathedral to pray before the relics prior to their transfer.

According to Russian journalist Ksenia Luchenko, author of the Orthodoxy and Zombies Telegram channel, church officials separated small bone fragments from the prince's remains, placed them in custom reliquaries, and transported them directly to the contact line. The transfer continues an established Kremlin and church effort to distribute religious artifacts across military units. Russian forces had previously received fragments from the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, Saint Luke of Crimea, and Saint Matrona of Moscow, in addition to several consecrated icons.

Ukrainian counteroffensive in Donetsk

The retreat near Lyman took place during a broad Ukrainian counteroffensive across the Donetsk region, identified by military observers as Kyiv's largest offensive operation in the area since 2022. Operating under the designation Operation Vivaldi, the Armed Forces of Ukraine dismantled Russian defensive lines around Lyman and cleared a Russian bridgehead that had been threatening an advance toward Sloviansk. The assault forced several Russian units into rapid withdrawals to avoid tactical encirclement.

According to spatial assessments by defense consultancy Rochan Consulting, Ukrainian forces liberated 240 square kilometers of territory during the advance. The commander of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, Andriy Biletsky, reported that Ukrainian forces captured 250 Russian soldiers as entire units surrendered during the retreat.

“The Russians surrendered in entire units, together with officers, pilots, and artillerymen.”