At a Heroes of Russia award ceremony in the Kremlin on February 23, Vladimir Putin declared that Russia’s war in Ukraine was approved by God, calling it a “difficult but honorable mission” assigned to the Russian people.
"We are fighting for our Motherland and will do everything to pass it on to future generations—our children, our grandchildren," Putin said, as cited by the press release. "This is how fate turned out, this is how God wanted it."
He addressed 11 servicemen receiving awards, praising them for their "courage" and claiming that they were defending truth and justice.
Putin compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine to past wars fought by the Russian Empire, citing an example from the 19th century when troops were ordered into certain death during a Danube campaign.
He recalled that the soldiers viewed it as an “enormous honor” to fight for Russia, drawing a direct parallel to today’s war.
Putin has made religious justifications for the war before, previously claiming that Russia is “directly ruled by God”—a statement he attributed to 18th-century Field Marshal Burkhard Christoph Munnich.
However, he distanced himself from the full quote, which questions how Russia has survived at all.
"My experience in the position I hold today tells me that Russia exists thanks to the Russians and other peoples inhabiting this territory," he added.
At the ceremony, eight Russian army officers, including a major general and two officers from Rosgvardia, received the Hero of Russia stars.
Among them was Lieutenant Colonel Anton Struyev, who, according to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), ordered the execution of civilians in Kyiv Oblast during the first wave of the Russian offensive in March 2022.
