January 15, 2026

How Did Putin Celebrate Orthodox Christmas?


How Did Putin Celebrate Orthodox Christmas?
Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrates Christmas at a military church near Moscow.  Office of the President of Russia

On January 7, believers of the Eastern Orthodox faith gathered to celebrate Christmas. Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the holiday by attending a Christmas service at a church near Moscow.

​This year, Putin’s annual attendance of Christmas church services made a special appeal to the children of fighters in the so-called SVO (special military operation), namely Russia’s War on Ukraine. Listening in on his address were military intelligence officers and veterans of the war.

​Putin urged children to be “proud of your fathers, your mothers, as always in our country, in Russia, we have been proud of our soldiers.”​

The president’s speech continued by contemplating the birth of Jesus and the war. Just as Jesus came to save all people, Russian soldiers must similarly defend the Motherland and its people, who, “acting at God’s command, carry out this holy mission.”

​Some ambiguity accompanied Putin’s visit to one of the churches, dedicated to St. George the Victorious. Although not formally identified, the service is believed to have been held at a military church near Moscow, on the grounds of an elite Special Purpose Center that supports military training. The likely church was completed in 2021, after being approved in 2017.

The choice reflects an ongoing trend: major religious holidays are being recast as commemorations of war, as both the Russian Orthodox Church and children are militarized.

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