With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the diocesan Right Reverends in Russia sent a circular letter from Metropolitan Gregory of the Resurrection, the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, about the non-canonical image of the "Theotokos of Donetsk Deliverer".
"The Department of Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate has received evidence of the activities of a group of persons forming a cult of veneration of the image, which they call the icon of the Theotokos of Donetsk Deliverer," the text of the circular letter says. — According to information received from the Center for Religious Studies in the Name of Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyon, the original source of this image in the form of a painting was painted by a resident of St. Petersburg - artist Maria Zharova. The painting was stylized as an icon and presented in this form to the Museum of Military Glory of Donbass. Subsequently, having made a list of this painting, a group of people, headed by Alexander Petutin (or Petunin), a native of Khartsyzsk, Donetsk region, actively engaged in its popularization, claiming a supposedly mystical story of the origin of the image on it (allegedly the list of "icons" was written against the will of its author by some "secret force" and received a blessing unnamed "Athonite elders")".
As reported in the text of the document, copies of the image, in particular, are distributed on the line of combat contact, A.'s associates. Petutina publishes unsubstantiated materials on the Internet about supposedly occurring miracles, healings and prophecies related to the veneration of this image. It is noted that in a number of cases, representatives of the mentioned group of persons managed to mislead the clergy of parishes and monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the materials posted on the Internet, A. Petutin calls himself a descendant of Prince Putyatin and claims that "The Mother of God Herself appointed him the keeper of the "icon"", and calls his apartment a "home chapel", in which, in addition to the mentioned image, "icons" of uncanonized persons are presented (for example, G. Rasputin, I. Talkov, the so-called "Slavik Chebarkulsky", etc.).
"In connection with the above, bringing this "icon" to Orthodox churches is unacceptable. I ask you to inform the abbots of churches and monasteries in your archpastoral care about the above and about the need to stop attempts to spread the described cult, if such attempts arise," the text of the circular letter says.
The letter also notes that there is a canonical icon of the Mother of God, called "Donetsk" ("Softening of evil hearts — Donetsk").