Putin 'In A Hurry' To Get God On His Side Amid Ukraine War: Analyst

Russian President Vladimir Putin is now turning to God and the Orthodox Church as Moscow continues to see mounting losses and deaths ahead of Ukraine's anticipated spring counteroffensive, according to an analyst.

Earlier this week, Putin decided to hand over two sacred religious icons, including the 15th-century Trinity icon, from state-run museums to the Russian Orthodox Church. He also previously handed over an elaborate silver shrine honoring 13th-century Prince Alexander Nevsky to the Russian Orthodox Church. The shrine had been displayed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg before the transfer.

The Kremlin and the Orthodox Church have said that the transfers were part of an effort to align with Putin's political and military ambitions. However, Mark Voyger, who served as a cultural adviser on Russian and Eurasian affairs for the United States and NATO, said Putin is hoping the transfers would buy the loyalty of the Orthodox Church.

"He is in a hurry to get God's imprimatur on his current – and especially his future – actions both in Ukraine and at home, in Russia itself," Voyger was quoted as saying by the U.S. News.

"He apparently believes that the transfer of those two icons – with other artifacts considered sacred potentially following suit – would buy him even further the loyalty of the Orthodox Church. And, thence, of the tens of millions of Orthodox believers who are likely to look for spiritual guidance from Cyril and his clergy – whether it comes to enlisting to fight in Ukraine or to supporting Putin and his regime out of blind faith, should the system in Russia begin to shake," he added.

The Russian Orthodox Church has become a vital pillar of support for Putin's regime since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. In fact, he last year claimed that Ukrainians living in that "ancient Russian land" were Orthodox who were facing persecution from an illegitimate regime of Kyiv.

The Russian Orthodox Church, specifically its head Patriarch Kirill I, has supported Putin's war in Ukraine. In September, Kirill compared dying in the war in Ukraine to an act of "sacrifice" that "washes away" the soldiers' sins.

Also last year, Kirill appeared to blame gay pride parades and other Western values for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, per Moscow Times.