--- title: "Prayers for Victory and \"Archistrateg Vladimir\": How the Russian Orthodox Church Integrates War into Worship" description: "The Center for Countering Disinformation found that the ROC has officially approved at least 12 prayers justifying the war. πŸ•―οΈ Churches now read a prayer for the \"victory of Russia,\" and priests who refuse risk being defrocked. On the front lines, texts equating Putin with the Archangel Michael are being distributed. πŸ‡·πŸ‡ΊπŸ“œ" date: 2026-08-02T07:50:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/roc-prayers-for-victory-and-archistrateg-vladimir-en tags: [russian-orthodox-church, vladimir-putin, ukraine-war, propaganda] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Prayers for Victory and "Archistrateg Vladimir": How the Russian Orthodox Church Integrates War into Worship ![Patriarch Kirill with lit candles during Easter service, symbolizing prayers for victory and protection of the homeland](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/02/rpt-molitvy-o-pobede-i-arkhistratige-vladimire/rpt-molitvy-o-pobede-i-arkhistratige-vladimire-1.webp) The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is increasingly integrating the theme of war into its liturgical texts. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), at least 12 prayers have been officially approved that effectively justify Russia's aggression. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine. ### From Calls for Peace to Open Militarization CCD specialists note a radical shift in rhetoric. Before the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the church's position on the issue of war was more veiled and contained standard calls for peace. However, as Russian researchers record, with the onset of the conflict, the militarization of church texts became open and systematic. A key element of this new rhetoric has become the mandatory prayer "for Holy Rus." The text contains a direct request for Russia's victory. According to the Center's data, this prayer is read in every ROC temple. Moreover, clergy who refuse to recite this text risk being defrocked. ### New Prayers and the Cult of Personality The Synod of the ROC continues to approve new texts addressed to various categories of believers: from the military themselves to their mothers. However, on the front lines, according to sources, unofficial texts are also circulating that go beyond the traditional liturgy. One such example is the prayer for "Archistrateg Vladimir." In this text, Russian President Vladimir Putin is equated with the Archangel Michael, which is unprecedented from the point of view of church dogma. Representatives of the CCD summarize the situation as follows: the systematic imposition of so-called "Z-prayers" demonstrates that the ROC functions as an exclusively propagandistic institution of the Kremlin. In their opinion, the church's current activities have nothing to do with spirituality or Christian ethics. ### An Instrument of Influence Abroad The question of the ROC's role in geopolitics has been raised before. The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) stated that the church is used by the Kremlin as an instrument of influence outside the country. Former Deputy Head of HUR Ilya Pavlenko noted that ROC clergy abroad perform not only religious functions. According to Ukrainian intelligence, they contribute to the promotion of Russian propaganda and may be linked to Russian intelligence services.