What question did this study set out to answer?

The paper aims to explore the religious narratives that frame Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a Holy War.

May 24, 2026Open Access

A Holy War?: The Religious Dimension of Russian Military Ideology

Key Points

The paper aims to explore the religious narratives that frame Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a Holy War.
Analyzes concepts of the Russian World and Katechon in the context of military ideology.
Examines the role of the Moscow Patriarchate in sacralizing military concepts.
Investigates the portrayal of fallen soldiers as martyrs by secular and religious authorities.
Identifies the overlap between heroism and sanctity in the narrative surrounding the war.
Demonstrates how the cult of fallen soldiers legitimizes the current political regime in Russia.

Abstract

Abstract This paper deals with the concepts contributing to the description of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine as Holy War, namely the Russian World and Katechon. Special attention is dedicated to the role of the Moscow Patriarchate in sacralising those concepts. The paper also considers the notions of heroism and sanctity, which are increasingly understood with a near-identical meaning. It analyses the effects of the cult surrounding soldiers and officers killed in action, who are presented as martyrs and saints by both secular and religious authorities in Russia. Finally, the paper shows how this concept contributes to legitimizing the present political regime in Russia.

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