Putin gives the Orthodox Church the most precious icon of Russian antiquity. The transfer, which is opposed by many restorers and art experts across the country, may be fatal to this art treasure.
The Russian Orthodox Church has supported Putin's war in Ukraine, blessed soldiers and promised them salvation if they perish on the battlefield. The Patriarch Kirill, for his part, claimed that he had merely asked the head of state to lend him the icon for two weeks to be exhibited in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.