With the blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, on March 26, 2026, Metropolitan Aristarchus of Kemerovo and Prokopiev began his trip to Donbass on March 26, 2026. Accompanied by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Lugansk and Alchevsk, a delegation from Kuzbass visited the Vladimir Cathedral, the Church of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg and the Church of All Saints in Lugansk.
On March 27, Metropolitan Aristarchus celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Peter and Paul Cathedral, co-served by Metropolitan Panteleimon. His Eminence noted that for the first time in the 21st century, the ruling bishops of the Lugansk Diocese and the Kuzbass Metropolia were able to pray together in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Metropolitan Aristarchus thanked Bishop Panteleimon for the invitation and presented an icon of the Mother of God "The Sign", revered as the patroness of the Kuzbass region. In response, Metropolitan Panteleimon thanked Bishop Aristarchus for the hospitality extended during the celebration of Miner's Day in the Kuzbass region last August. Metropolitan Panteleimon congratulated the guest on the 28th anniversary of his monastic tonsure and presented him with a cross, a panagia and a bouquet of flowers.
The bishops also visited Gorlovka City Hospital No. 2, where doctors from Kuzbass work. The guests were greeted by the chief physician of the medical institution, Hero of Labor of Russia N.N. Yakunenko. Metropolitan Aristarchus handed over humanitarian aid from the Kuzbass Metropolitan Area to the hospital, visited the wounded soldiers and presented them with icons of the "Intercession of the Mother of God over the land of Kuznetsk."
On March 28, the head of the Kuzbass Archdiocese, accompanied by clerics of the Kemerovo and Gorlovka dioceses, visited soldiers of the 74th separate motorized rifle brigade from the city of Yurga, who are performing combat missions in the area of their military operations. In the field, Metropolitan Aristarchus performed a prayer service, gave communion to the soldiers of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and performed the sacrament of Baptism over several soldiers. 
On the evening of March 28, on the eve of the 5th Week of Great Lent, Metropolitan Aristarchus of Kemerovo and Prokopievsky, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovka and Slavyansk, Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol, Archbishop Barnabas of Makeyevo, Archbishop Ambrose of Volnovakha, Metropolitan Aristarchus' personal secretary, Priest John Pavlyuk, and others celebrated an all-night vigil in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour. the clergy of the Donetsk diocese.
The head of the Kuzbass Metropolia stressed that the strength of the Russian Church has always been in prayer together. 
On March 29, the 5th Week of Great Lent, St. Mary of Egypt, the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the St. Nicholas Episcopal Cathedral in Gorlovka was led by Metropolitan Aristarchus of Kemerovo and Prokopiev. 
At the end of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Mitrofan addressed the archpastors with a welcoming speech. Vladyka noted that the St. Nicholas Cathedral is the oldest church in Gorlovka, built in 1905 at the expense of miners. He spoke about the historical ties between Donbass and Kuzbass: after the Great Patriotic War, residents of the Kemerovo region helped to restore the mines of Gorlovka, and in recent years Kuzbass has been the chief region of the city. Metropolitan Mitrofan thanked Bishop Aristarchus for his archpastoral prayers and visit to Gorlovka.
In response, Metropolitan Aristarchus conveyed the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Gorlovka people. Vladyka noted that Donbass and Kuzbass have remained fraternal regions for decades, sharing both joys and difficulties. As a gift to the Gorlovka diocese, the head of the Kuzbass Metropolis presented the painted icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" and "The Protection of the Mother of God over Kuzbass and Donbass," which depict the Virgin Mary covering working miners and temples of the cities of two regions with Her omophorion: Kemerovo, Prokopyevsk, Gorlovka and Lugansk. The icon "Protection of the Mother of God over the land of Kuznetsk" will be located in the Epiphany Cathedral in Gorlovka, and the icon "The Sign" will decorate the St. Nicholas Episcopal Cathedral.
Metropolitan Aristarchus also conveyed greetings from the Governor of the Kemerovo region and presented the parishioners with icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" in prayerful memory.