Boris Kostenko, a former director of the Orthodox Christian channel Spas TV who now advises the state secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, said a photograph of a fighter from the Espanola battalion who was killed in the war with Ukraine had “begun weeping myrrh.” The independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo reported the remark.
Speaking at the “Religion and Peace” forum in Moscow, Kostenko said:
Yesterday I received a photograph showing one of our fighters, call sign “Kazak.” He’s from the Espanola battalion. He died after drawing a drone away from his fellow soldiers, a heroic act. Many such acts are happening in the war right now. He died. He left behind a wife and a child. But what’s important is that this photo has been placed in the battalion’s office in Moscow. So the photo began weeping myrrh: it became covered in tiny droplets of myrrh.
Vadim Kazak of Espanola died in September 2024 near Chasiv Yar, Agentstvo reported.
Espanola was formed mostly from football fans, and some of its fighters openly hold neo-Nazi views. The news outlet Cherta reported that Espanola has ties to Vladislav Surkov, a former aide to the Russian president, and to United Russia. In October 2025, Stanislav Orlov, who led Espanola, announced that the battalion would be disbanded. In December, Orlov was killed in occupied Sevastopol.
Espanola said Orlov’s farewell ceremony was held at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Agentstvo said he was the first participant in Russia’s war with Ukraine whose farewell ceremony was held at the main cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The “Religion and Peace” forum has been held since 2013. It is organized by the “Christian World” Union for Promoting the Preservation of Traditional Values, with support from the Presidential Directorate for Domestic Policy, the Higher Education and Science Ministry, and the Moscow government.
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