Russian Orthodox church

Admiral Theodore Ushakov, the 18th-19th century commander of the Russian naval fleet who never lost a battle, is commemorated today as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church, which canonized him as a righteous warrior in 2001. Observances and references mark his feast day, with attention to his legacy in Russian naval history and sites such as St Petersburg.

A story circulating online recounts the claim that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin reinstated the Russian Orthodox Church during World War Two because he feared a curse attributed to the medieval conqueror Tamerlane. According to the legend, Tamerlane's tomb was opened in 1941, after which the German invasion began, prompting Stalin's famous 1943 concession to the Church as the war turned. Historians attribute the move to wartime unity instead.

The Russian Orthodox Church has rejected claims that Russian troops lost the relics of a medieval warrior prince during the war in Ukraine. The relics, venerated as those of a revered military saint, were reportedly unaccounted for amid the fighting. The denial has drawn attention to the intertwining of Orthodox heritage, nationalist symbolism, and the conflict, with observers questioning how such sacred artifacts are being handled or used in wartime messaging.