‘Superstitious’ Putin wants Russia’s treasured icon handed to church as Ukraine war falters
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An increasingly superstitious Vladimir Putin has issued a historic decree to move Russia’s most treasured orthodox icon from a museum to a church in the apparent hope of reversing the country’s battlefield losses in Ukraine.
The deeply pro-Putin church, which has wholeheartedly supported the invasion of Ukraine, was not even allowed to take the icon on loan until a three-week swap was arranged last summer.
Museum staff later reported minor damage to it, caused by improper storage conditions.
Mr Putin did not publicly explain his decision to permanently transfer the icon.
The priceless painting will reportedly be displayed at Moscow’s main cathedral for a year, before moving to a monastery outside the capital.
“He has a primitive superstition for everything that concerns religion.
“Putin previously gave his blessing to the idea of handing out (pocket-size) icons to the troops – it didn’t work. Now they’ve decided to go even further.”
Art historians have compared the 600-year-old Holy Trinity icon to a patient on life-support who will be doomed once they are unhooked from medical equipment.
Sofia Bagdasarova, a prominent art author, said earlier this week that the icon “will literally die within a year or several months” if it is moved somewhere for a prolonged period of time.
The monumental decision has triggered harsh criticism, even among Mr Putin’s trusted appointees.
Mikhail Shvydkoi, the president’s long-time plenipotentiary envoy for cultural co-operation, penned a piece for the government newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, warning him that “moving masterpieces such as the Trinity out of a museum setting could cause irreparable damage that needs to be avoided”.
Scholars have compared Mr Putin to superstitious mediaeval Russian princes who took prized icons to battles, hoping to secure a victory.
Oleg Voskoboynikov, a well-known Russian Medieval scholar, in a piece for Novaya Gazeta on Wednesday, blasted Mr Putin’s gamble for its “desperation and recklessness”.
The Kremlin earlier this week deflected criticism as spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that “keeping the icon at a museum does not correspond to the wishes of the believers”.
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