Information Support for the Celebrations of the Day of the Baptism of Rus in Occupied Crimea
On 28 July, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) marks a double holiday that effectively carries state-level significance for the Russian Federation: the day of commemoration of Saint Volodymyr, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and the Day of the Baptism of Rus. This event is also presented in a particular way in Russian state and religious ideological narratives, which are designed to convince target audiences that not only the Russian Church but also Russian statehood itself allegedly originates from Prince Volodymyr’s baptism of the inhabitants of Kyiv in 988.
After Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014, Russian propaganda, at the prompting of dictator Vladimir Putin, began searching for the “origins of Russian statehood and Russian Orthodoxy”... among the ruins of the ancient settlement of Tauric Chersonese within present-day Sevastopol. Allegedly, this was where Prince Volodymyr was baptised together with his army during his campaign. The ideological machine of the aggressor state relies on this account — one that is virtually unsupported by documentary evidence — as a kind of article of faith.
Khalyuta continued his “historical” reflections by recalling the visit of Russian Empress Catherine II to the ruins of Chersonese, after which she began calling herself the “Empress of Tauric Chersonese,” a title later indulged in by her successors as well. According to the “dean,” it was also in Chersonese that ideas allegedly emerged that Moscow — which did not yet even exist at the time — was the “Third Rome” (!) and that Rus was “the heir to the Byzantine Empire.” Through these absurd theses, Khalyuta attempts to explain the “aspirations of the Russian Empire to liberate Christian brothers living in the territories of the former Byzantine Empire under the Ottoman yoke.” From there, he abruptly moves to the “restoration of historical truth,” which allegedly took the form of the unlawful “restoration” of an ROC monastery on the territory of the ancient settlement and the barbaric construction of the “New Chersonese” complex.
The Sevastopol “dean” also could not avoid mentioning the current war that the Russian Federation is waging against Ukraine — naturally, from his own perspective:
“Unfortunately, we see that today we are in conflict with our brothers — those who were baptised together with us in the baptismal font of the Dnipro. A ‘special military operation’ is underway — in essence, a war between blood brothers. Similar events have already happened in our history, when brother-princes, together with the Tatars, burned cities and internecine hostility flourished for centuries. We overcame all this thanks to the powerful foundations laid by Prince Volodymyr, which are the foundations of the unity of our people. And now we are once again passing through the furnace of trials. And we will unite, we will become one whole, because we are one people — with one Baptiser, one Father, one forefather who commanded us to preserve our statehood and our correct Orthodox faith.”
Sergiy Khalyuta then continued his reflections on Chersonese as a “point of assembly of Russian statehood and spirituality” in a similarly chauvinistic vein:
“What is the ‘Russian people’? These are the peoples who now live in Belarus, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and other peoples who lived and live alongside us. And Chersonese is our common baptismal font. Of course, for us this is holy land. Chersonese is like Bethlehem for us. It is a shrine of our entire people, a special holy place of pilgrimage to which every Orthodox Christian should aspire. It is very important that throughout the entire history of our Russian state, Chersonese has always been a very important landmark for our people.”
Finally, Khalyuta concluded his “sermon” by declaring that Chersonese “is once again becoming a holy city for the entire Russian people” and is “a very important place for all world Orthodoxy” — which, like this very Orthodoxy, allegedly unites “around two hundred peoples and nationalities” of contemporary Putinist Russia.
On the night before 28 July 2025, celebrations began in occupied Sevastopol to mark the commemoration of Saint Prince Volodymyr and his baptism of the people of Kyiv in the Dnipro. The events took place at the so-called “Saint Volodymyr Chersonese Monastery for Men” and the propaganda “museum-and-church complex ‘New Chersonese.’” Both “institutions” were unlawfully created on the territory of Tauric Chersonese and its chora, or suburbs, respectively, at the initiative of the current ROC “Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea,” Tikhon (Georgiy Shevkunov), with the support of Putin and the occupation “authorities” of Sevastopol. In the case of “New Chersonese,” it is also worth noting that this gigantomanic construction on an area of 24 hectares was carried out by the construction company of the Russian Ministry of Defence and effectively buried an enormous array of priceless artefacts from antiquity.
On the day of the celebrations, members of the Sevastopol branches of the ROC — almost a year ago, Metropolitan Tikhon divided the previously unified “Sevastopol deanery” into four — held a religious procession from Saint Volodymyr’s Cathedral in “old” Chersonese to “New Chersonese,” where an all-night vigil and night liturgy were held in the “church-park” dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The service was led by Metropolitan Tikhon, accompanied by:
· “Bishop of Dzhankoi and Rozdolne” Alexiy (Alexander Ovsiannikov),
· “Vicar of the Simferopol and Crimean Diocese of the ROC,” “Bishop of Yalta” Nestor (Nikolay Donenko),
· retired Metropolitan of Feodosia and Kerch Platon (Vladimir Udovenko),
and other clerics of the “Crimean Metropolis of the ROC,” including “Secretary of the Simferopol and Crimean Diocese of the ROC” Archpriest Ioann Pristinsky.
In addition to local clergy who, after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, transferred from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate, into direct subordination to Moscow Patriarch Kirill (Vladimir Gundyaev), the solemn services in Chersonese were also attended by bishops appointed by the ROC to the occupied territories of Ukraine:
· “Bishop of Feodosia and Kerch” Ilarion (Mikhail Karandeev, a long-time associate of Tikhon and effectively his appointee in occupied Crimea),
· “Bishop of Berdiansk and Prymorsk” Pyotr (Ivan Dmitriev, who arrived in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia oblast in late spring 2025 from the Russian city of Zlatoust),
and “Archbishop of Rovenky and Sverdlovsk” Arkadiy (Alexander Taranov, a collaborator from the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk oblast who transferred from the UOC-MP to the ROC after 2022).
In addition to these individuals, ROC bishops from the Russian Federation were also present at the celebrations:
· Metropolitan of Pskov and Porkhov Matfey (Konstantin Kopylov, Tikhon’s successor as head of the ROC’s Pskov Metropolis),
· Metropolitan of Yekaterinodar and Kuban Vasiliy (Arkadiy Kulakov),
· Bishop of Kuznetsk and Nikolsk Nazariy (Nikolay Lavrinenko, a native of Cherkasy region),
as well as other clergy.
In addition to the occupation “Governor of Sevastopol” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the religious celebration was attended by representatives of “federal and regional authorities,” servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, patrons, teachers and students of the “Tavria Theological Seminary” and others. The events were traditionally accompanied by church singing performed by the bishops’ choir under the direction of Deacon Alexander Amerkhanov. In total, it was reported that more than three thousand people took part in the services, including visitors from various regions of the Russian Federation.
In fact, fighters from the personnel of the “Main Directorate of the Russian National Guard for the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol,” including servicemen of the Simferopol motorised regiment, became some of the main participants in the festive events in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol for the Day of the Baptism of Rus. In particular, on 28 July, in Simferopol, at the ROC church dedicated to All Saints, rector Maksim Tarasenko held a prayer service for them, after which he spoke with the Rosgvardiya personnel, sprinkled them with holy water, blessed them for service and wished them “God’s help in serving for the benefit of the Fatherland.” That same day in Sevastopol, employees and servicemen of the occupation “departments” for coordinating the activities of Rosgvardiya units and private security, ZMOP “Berkut-S” and ZZShR “Sokol” joined the festive services. Congratulating the personnel on the holiday, the head of the above-mentioned Rosgvardiya “directorate,” Police Colonel Vladimir Sobolev, stated the following:
“Today we are in the most sacred place for the entire country [meaning the Russian Federation — author], in the Russian Jerusalem. It was from here, thanks to Prince Volodymyr, that Christianity spread across the country. And for Rosgvardiya personnel, today is a double holiday, because Prince Volodymyr, Equal-to-the-Apostles, is the heavenly patron of the troops of the National Guard [of the Russian Federation].”
In turn, the “Deputy Head of the Territorial Directorate of Rosgvardiya,” Colonel Mikhail Kolosov, added that Prince Volodymyr “represents a special example of courage and spiritual transformation”:
“To serve under the heavenly protection of the great prince means to be devoted to one’s country, to bear responsibility for the safety of compatriots, to protect peace and tranquillity on one’s native land. Participation in services on this festive day is not merely a tradition but part of our service ethics, which strengthens morale and reminds us of the high calling of serving our Fatherland.”
It was separately noted that the above-mentioned contingent was involved in “ensuring public order and citizens’ safety” during the festive events. Among other things, the routes of detention teams were brought as close as possible to ROC churches.
“This is our common holiday, whatever they [Ukrainians — author] may think of us and however they may treat us. Today we are living through the most difficult and perhaps the most tragic events in our history for many decades. It was clear that Russia and Ukraine were being set against each other. This must be endured. No one will forget this blood either here or on the other side of the border [meaning the territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine — author]. There can be no illusions here. But brotherly blood not only separates, it also unites. Not immediately, but it will certainly happen. Time heals everything. There is no doubt that God’s truth will prevail,” Tikhon said.
In addition, the “Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea” once again demonstrated his historical ignorance by calling the events of the Pereiaslav Council of 1654 the “beginning of the first ‘special military operation’” — the term used by Russian propaganda for the war against Ukraine — and adding that after this, “Ukraine’s accession to Russia lasted thirteen years.” Shevkunov continued his “deep historical knowledge” by claiming that Prince Volodymyr
“laid the foundation not only of our [meaning Russian — author] state but also of our civilisation, with all its culture, science, art and education, which, like a vast, beautiful golden cloud, descended upon Rus at that time, was passed on to us through Byzantium and was multiplied many times over by the most talented great Russian people and by the peoples gathered around it.”EndFragment
In addition, Tikhon recalled that he had asked Moscow Patriarch Kirill to establish, specifically for “New Chersonese,” a new holiday — the “day of the baptism of Prince Volodymyr and his army in Chersonese,” which is based on legends not confirmed by documentary evidence.
“This is an ancient and wonderful holiday, but it was preceded by the decision of Prince Volodymyr himself and his retinue [army — author] to be baptised here,” Tikhon stated, emphasising the “importance of preserving historical memory” and expressing hope for “a revival of interest in authentic dates and events that played a decisive role in the formation of the Russian state and its culture.”
Following the events, the website of the “Crimean Metropolis of the ROC” published “heartfelt gratitude from the God-loving flock” to Russian Patriarch Kirill, ROC Crimean Metropolitan Tikhon, dictator Vladimir Putin, the occupation “authorities” of Sevastopol, as well as benefactors and “all those who provide concrete assistance in the successful implementation of the museum-and-church complex ‘New Chersonese,’ which, through its spiritual, catechetical, worldview and cultural orientation, contributes to the historical and educational mission of enlightening our people.”
Among other things, on 28 July, the first part of an exhibition dedicated to Prince Volodymyr, titled “The Godfather,” was opened in the new Museum of Christianity building in “New Chersonese” — according to Russian propagandists, “unique not only for Russia but for the entire world.” ROC Crimean Metropolitan Tikhon is not only its first guest, accompanied by the occupation “Governor of Sevastopol” Mikhail Razvozhayev and other “officials,” but also its inspirer. The exhibition is a one-hour film journey created with the help of artificial intelligence. At the centre of the story is the personal history of Prince Volodymyr, who accepts Christianity himself and brings Kyivan Rus to it. The second part is expected to focus directly on Volodymyr’s rule. Attention is also drawn to the fact that on the accompanying decorations in the exhibition hall, the Black Sea is called the “Russian Sea.”
It is noteworthy that both in his sermon during the festive service and in his subsequent speeches, the ROC Crimean metropolitan promoted not only various legends and myths but also theses about Prince Volodymyr as a “common godfather” for those oriented toward the Russian version of Orthodoxy.
In recent Russian media reports, often inspired by ROC functionaries at various levels, the mythical baptism of Prince Volodymyr in Chersonese, which allegedly took place at the site of the present-day Saint Volodymyr’s Cathedral, was traditionally described as “an event that occurred more than a thousand years ago on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and determined the development of our state [meaning the Russian Federation — author], its historical and cultural path.” Additional emphasis was placed on the fact that Volodymyr was not only a prince of Kyiv but also of Novgorod — allegedly to further underline his “Russianness” — and that he “made Orthodoxy the state religion of Rus,” even though at that time the Christian Church had not yet been definitively divided into eastern and western, or Orthodox and Catholic, branches. The Kyivans whom Volodymyr ordered to be baptised are now, in Russian propaganda’s interpretation, the inhabitants of some “Old Russian state.” Moreover, propagandists claimed that the ancient city of Tauric Chersonese on the territory of Sevastopol is allegedly “called the Russian Jerusalem,” and some even went so far as to say that Rus itself “was baptised” at that location (!). It was also specified that this year, the occupied city celebrated not only the anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus but also the consecration of “New Chersonese,” carried out a year earlier. These events, according to them, became possible because “Orthodox people and the absolute majority of Crimeans in 2014 made the only correct political and existential choice” — that is, supported the Russian occupation of the peninsula.
These narratives were retransmitted almost in full by the “Governor of Sevastopol,” Mikhail Razvozhayev. On the night of the celebrations in “New Chersonese,” he — a historian by education, incidentally — told regional and Russian media cameras:
“Hundreds of people have gathered here today to rejoice, to recall historical facts, when, thanks to the adoption of Orthodoxy, our Russian statehood was created. (...) Every time you come to a service at the Saint Volodymyr Chersonese Monastery or walk through the museum-and-church complex, you feel it: this is a holy place, the cradle of our faith.”
In the morning, Razvozhayev’s Telegram channel posted a greeting to residents of the occupied city stating the following:
“At the end of the service, in his sermon, Vladyka Tikhon reminded us all of how Prince Volodymyr became the godfather of the Russian people and laid the foundations of Russian statehood. Russia and Sevastopol have a colossal cultural and historical heritage. Our task is to preserve it, to live according to the commandments of goodness and mercy that came to Rus together with Orthodoxy.”
The Sevastopol “governor” repeated all these theses to journalists at night, speaking of Prince Volodymyr as the “godfather of Rus.”
In recent Russian media reports, often inspired by ROC functionaries at various levels, the mythical baptism of Prince Volodymyr in Chersonese, which allegedly took place at the site of the present-day Saint Volodymyr’s Cathedral, was traditionally described as “an event that occurred more than a thousand years ago on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and determined the development of our state [meaning the Russian Federation — author], its historical and cultural path.” Additional emphasis was placed on the fact that Volodymyr was not only a prince of Kyiv but also of Novgorod — allegedly to further underline his “Russianness” — and that he “made Orthodoxy the state religion of Rus,” even though at that time the Christian Church had not yet been definitively divided into eastern and western, or Orthodox and Catholic, branches. The Kyivans whom Volodymyr ordered to be baptised are now, in Russian propaganda’s interpretation, the inhabitants of some “Old Russian state.” Moreover, propagandists claimed that the ancient city of Tauric Chersonese on the territory of Sevastopol is allegedly “called the Russian Jerusalem,” and some even went so far as to say that Rus itself “was baptised” at that location (!). It was also specified that this year, the occupied city celebrated not only the anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus but also the consecration of “New Chersonese,” carried out a year earlier. These events, according to them, became possible because “Orthodox people and the absolute majority of Crimeans in 2014 made the only correct political and existential choice” — that is, supported the Russian occupation of the peninsula.
These narratives were retransmitted almost in full by the “Governor of Sevastopol,” Mikhail Razvozhayev. On the night of the celebrations in “New Chersonese,” he — a historian by education, incidentally — told regional and Russian media cameras:
“Hundreds of people have gathered here today to rejoice, to recall historical facts, when, thanks to the adoption of Orthodoxy, our Russian statehood was created. (...) Every time you come to a service at the Saint Volodymyr Chersonese Monastery or walk through the museum-and-church complex, you feel it: this is a holy place, the cradle of our faith.”
In the morning, Razvozhayev’s Telegram channel posted a greeting to residents of the occupied city stating the following:
“At the end of the service, in his sermon, Vladyka Tikhon reminded us all of how Prince Volodymyr became the godfather of the Russian people and laid the foundations of Russian statehood. Russia and Sevastopol have a colossal cultural and historical heritage. Our task is to preserve it, to live according to the commandments of goodness and mercy that came to Rus together with Orthodoxy.”
The Sevastopol “governor” repeated all these theses to journalists at night, speaking of Prince Volodymyr as the “godfather of Rus.”
Representatives of the occupation authorities of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea — “Head of the Republic of Crimea” Sergey Aksyonov and “Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea” Vladimir Konstantinov — also decided to publish greetings on Telegram for residents of the occupied region on the Day of the Baptism of Rus. In particular, Aksyonov stated that this historical event allegedly “shaped the spiritual image of Russian civilisation and became the source of Russian statehood.” In his opinion, the “alternative of civilisational development” that the Russian Federation allegedly offers the world today is largely “the result of the choice made by Prince Volodymyr,” whose mythical baptismal font in Chersonese “became the source of the unity of our people,” which some mythical enemies allegedly seek very much to destroy.
“They are trying to slander, divide and destroy the Orthodox Church, to erase from the memory and souls of people the legacy of Saint Volodymyr, to return Russia to ancient times of disunity and enmity. But they will not succeed. Russia, as has happened many times in history, will emerge from all trials even stronger and more united,” Aksyonov, the “head of Crimea,” tries to convince himself.
Curiously, the statements of the “head of Crimea” intersect with the theses of a sermon by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, which he delivered on 28 July after the festive service at the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and a prayer service near the monument to Prince Volodymyr on Borovitskaya Square in Moscow. The text of this sermon was published in the evening, while Aksyonov’s greeting appeared online in the morning.
“The power of Volodymyr’s baptism is confirmed by the malice and fury with which enemies are trying to destroy the spiritual unity of our people created by Prince Volodymyr. Otherwise, there would not be such frenzied attacks on the Church, a desire to tear apart the fabric of our history, to replace truth with lies and the brotherhood of the peoples of Holy Rus with enmity, alienation and even military actions,” Kirill stated, among other things, giving grounds to suspect that he and the “head of Crimea” share a speechwriter.
In addition, the head of the ROC voiced the following no less interesting theses, which also echo the statements of representatives of the “authorities” and Russian clergy in occupied Crimea:
“Today we are not simply remembering one of the greatest rulers of Rus, glorified by the Church: we are returning to the origins of the birth of the Russian Church and state. Of course, Prince Volodymyr is first and foremost the baptiser of Rus, but he is also the gatherer of the Russian land. And what could unite peoples if not faith in God? What, apart from love for God and neighbour, can transform scattered pagan tribes into a single like-minded people? (...) Christianity in the history of Europe has always gone hand in hand with statehood. A state that neglects its spiritual foundation destroys itself. Russian statehood rests on a Christian foundation just as European statehood does. But we, unlike modern Europeans, are not afraid to speak about this today. (...) I believe that each of us is an heir of Prince Volodymyr, Equal-to-the-Apostles, a participant in his spiritual transformation. And may this memory strengthen us in loyalty to Christ, in love and devotion to Holy Rus. (...) May God’s blessing, through the prayers of Saint Prince Volodymyr, Equal-to-the-Apostles, remain over our Fatherland and over all the countries of Holy Rus, strengthening them in unity, Orthodox faith and like-mindedness.”
Following his “colleague” Sergey Aksyonov, the head of the Crimean “State Council,” Vladimir Konstantinov, expressed the conviction that the adoption of Christianity by Kyivan Rus “has a direct connection to the historical land of Tavrida [meaning Crimea — author], as do many other events from the history of Russia.”
“The new faith united people and this unity, carried through the centuries, helped our ancestors overcome all trials, even the most difficult ones, that befell our Fatherland. It helps us today as well, when our people are fighting the Nazi filth entrenched on the territory of former Ukraine,” said the “Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea.”
In addition to the “prominent” Crimean collaborators, the occupiers also provided platforms for less significant local henchmen to speak. Thus, on 28 July, the Russian propaganda agency RIA Novosti took a comment from the “head of the Crimean centre for support of Ukrainian migrants of the international public movement ‘The Other Ukraine’” Oleg Bondarenko, who called the Baptism of Rus “a spiritual beginning that laid the cultural code of the Slavs — Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians — as one people.”
“No matter how much the Kyiv authorities, alien to Ukraine, resist this now, time will put everything in its place, and the three brotherly peoples will be together again. Those who oppose this will find themselves on the sidelines of history. The alien Western values being imposed on the Ukrainian people will not take root and will be overthrown,” he said.
At the same time, the “lawyer” of this “centre,” Maya Mikhailova, told RIA Novosti that “Ukrainian migrants in Crimea” marked the Day of the Baptism of Rus by visiting “New Chersonese.”
It should be noted that the so-called “international movement ‘The Other Ukraine’” operates on the territory of the Russian Federation and in the Ukrainian regions it occupies. It is headed by former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who was handed over to the Russian side in September 2022 in exchange for captured defenders of Mariupol and was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship in January 2023. In June this year, Voice of Crimea reported on the intensification of this organisation’s “branch” in occupied Simferopol. In particular, the Crimean “centre for support of Ukrainians” regularly makes anti-Ukrainian statements and reports on various integration and propaganda events for “Ukrainian migrants” in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
On the eve of the Russian Federation’s celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus, a number of themed events linked to Chersonese were held in various regions of the aggressor state. In particular, on 26–27 July, with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, events of the all-Russian festival “Russia — My History. Chersonese” were held across a network of 25 so-called historical parks, timed to coincide with the opening of the Museum of Christianity in “New Chersonese” in occupied Sevastopol. In Krasnodar, for example, interactive tours using artificial intelligence were held on the role of occupied Crimea in the history of Russia, along with lectures on Christianity and a screening of a series about the Baptism of Rus. Notably, this exhibition had been opened in March 2019, on the fifth anniversary of the Russian occupation of Crimea.
963 views
