Russian President defies reports of counter offensives to personally deliver Easter greetings to the troops. 

In the second time in as many months, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a visit to the newly annexed areas of Kherson and Lugansk, having visited Mariupol last month. He traveled by helicopter in spite of threats of a spring counter offensive by Ukrainian forces to receive personally progress reports from the military authorities in the regions, demonstrating that Russia is in control of these regions and no threat is serious enough to prevent him visiting at will. 

After receiving progress reports, the President congratulated commanders and troops on the advent of Orthodox Easter, and came with a special gift; a replica of the icon of Christ the Saviour Not Made With Human Hands which once belonged to Count Dmitry Milyutin, one of the most famous and successful defense ministers of the Russian Empire. He also presented icons to the troops. 

The icon is sacred to the Russian Armed Forces. Mikhail Tyurenkov with Tsargrad Television, explained it in this fashion:

The fact that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief handed over the historical icon of the Saviour Not Made with Hands to the fighters liberating Novorossiya is very symbolic. It was under the ancient banners with the image of the Savior that the first great Russian victories were won. The same image is now the main icon of the Russian Armed Forces. And of course, the fact that the original image presented by Vladimir Putin to our military belonged to the Minister of War of the Russian Empire, Count Dmitry Milyutin, is of great importance. Let me remind you that it was during his time that our country won victories in the long-term Caucasian War and the truly triumphant Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Russian troops could liberate Tsargrad, and only Western intrigues did not allow us to do so. Today's gesture of the Russian head of State is more than obvious evidence that our country has not only a great Imperial past, but also the struggle for an Imperial future. The exact opposite of the colonial policy of the West, since the true Empire does not enslave peoples, but liberates them.

It is indeed heartening to see President Putin show such interest in the men fighting for the freedom not only of Russia but their Orthodox brothers in Ukraine, especially at this special Paschal time and when so much violence has been done to canonical Orthodox Christians and their churches in lands still occupied by the Satanist regime of Zelensky’s Ukraine. One can only hope the troops take solace in the icons and allow them to bolster their faith as they push their way to final victory.