The Russian Orthodox Church unveiled a monument in Yekaterinburg this week commemorating a recent military operation against Ukrainian forces in the southwestern Kursk region.
The monument, made from a section of a gas pipeline, is part of a photo exhibition celebrating “Operation Pipeline,” during which hundreds of Russian special forces crawled 16 kilometers (10 miles) through an unused pipeline section as part of a surprise counteroffensive against Ukrainian troops.
The operation, which took place earlier this month, is credited with helping Russian forces reclaim Sudzha, the last major town in the Kursk region to be held by Ukrainian troops after their cross-border incursion in August.
On Tuesday, the diocese of Yekaterinburg presented a 16-meter-long (52.5 feet) section of pipeline at the Church on the Blood, also known as the Church of All Saints. The church is located on the site of the execution of the Romanov imperial family.
The diocese said the pipeline section was provided by a local subsidiary of Gazprom, the state-owned energy giant, which also helped organize the event. State-funded broadcasters RT and Channel One provided photographs for the exhibition.
Father Yevgeny, head of the diocese, praised attendees for “perceiving this feat as their own,” adding that “these losses among all those who planned and carried out this operation are like your losses.”
A regional education official was arrested for “discrediting” the Russian military after protesting the monument, according to local media reports.
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