"Holy mission"
Putin compares his soldiers to Jesus
Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn an incredible comparison in connection with the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader sees his soldiers as a kind of savior who are on a "holy mission on behalf of God".
The Russian head of state got carried away with these controversial statements on Wednesday night during an Orthodox Christmas celebration in a small church in the Moscow region. In a video published by the Kremlin, Putin recalled that Jesus is often referred to as the Savior. This is because he came to earth to save all people.
"Russia's soldiers are also always fulfilling this mission - on behalf of the Lord, so to speak: defending the fatherland, saving the homeland and its people," said Putin. Russia has always seen its own warriors as being on a "sacred mission", he added. He did not mention the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on the night of January 6-7. Putin regularly congratulates the faithful on the high church festival.
Theologian accuses Putin of blasphemy
Orthodox theologian Natallia Vasilevich protested against Putin's reference to the mission of Jesus Christ in connection with the war in Ukraine. In an interview with the Catholic News Agency in Bonn on Wednesday, she accused the head of state of blasphemy. "The greatness of Russia and the war in Ukraine are now Putin's true religion," said Vasilevich. The Russian soldiers had attacked and occupied Ukraine and wanted to destroy the country and its identity.
Putin uses religious narratives symbolically to underpin his vision, although the two stories contradict each other. According to Christians Against War, dozens of clergy have already been killed since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
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