In early August 2023, the photo of Telegram and social networks spread a photo of a new Ukrainian icon with the Mother of God and the baby in helmets. We checked where the image came from and whether it became the subject of a cult for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

A photograph of an icon with the image of the Virgin Mary and a hand raising his hand in the Nazi greeting of the baby Jesus in helmets and surrounded by the Cossacks, as well as with the inscription “Mati of God, save our race” (“Mother of God, save our race”) viral in the Russian -language segment of Telegram. On August 8, a picture with signatures like the “race“ Ukrainian ”acquired its deity” and “The icon of the Virgin in the fascist helmet and with a ziging baby?” distributed Telegram channels "Russia now"(335,000 views at the time of writing this analysis),"Uncle Glory"(214 000), Voblya (160,000), TG Team Russia (65,000), "Tsargrad" (29,000) and other day earlier, on August 7, with the signature of “PCOs schismatics are mocking over the images of saints” Image appeared In the channel of the TV presenter Ruslan Ostashko (122,000) and with this comment it became Popular in "VKontakte", "Zen" And "Classmates".

Screenshot of the post in the channel TG Team Russia

Contrary to the statements of the authors of popular channels, this picture is by no means new. Earlier with similar comments, the photograph supposedly icons published Russian -speaking accounts on VKontakte (2022, 2013 years), twitter (2019, 2017 years), on the forums (2018, 2014 Years) and in the Live Journal (2017, 2007 years), she also illustrated Reprinting of the article of the Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church Vladislav Tsypin about “Ukrainian Satanism” (Tsypin himself did not write about this icon).

By using Feedback by images “Verified” managed to find the file in the highest resolution. He was Layd In 2006, on the Ukrainian Nationalist Blog in the “Live magazine” with the signature “Icon Mojo” (“My Friend Icon”). The preserved metadata show that the photo was taken on October 15, 2004.

That is, the picture itself was written no later than this date, and the Blog “Ukrainian Nationalist” probably became the first where her photo was posted. For almost 19 years in Ukrainian social networks and blogs, this image has not become any popular. “Verified” found in social networks and on the blog platforms less than a dozen posts of Ukrainian-speaking users with a photograph of the icon. All of them were written by people who adhere to the ultra -right views, and not one became viral. So, for example, in 2013, the icon from the picture was Retrained The Lviv artist is put up for sale - the post received only two likes. The image is much more popular in the Russian media field, in Russian -speaking blogs and social networks it began to regularly appear with 2017 years, although earlier publications have been preserved.

This icon has no connections with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and in the canonical sense there is no icon. Details about what can be called an icon, "verified" It wrote, analyzing the story of the “satanic” picture donated by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky Pope Francis in May 2023. PCU blesses the Bogomazov to write modern icons on unusual materials and even Consecrates Some of them, however, this information is always open and available, and the icons themselves are compositionally designed in strict accordance with the canon. The image of the Mother of God and the Baby in the Helpers surrounded by the Cossacks, in principle, could not be consecrated according to the Orthodox canon of icon painting.

Thus, this supposedly icon really exists, but was written by an unknown author of ultra -right views at least 19 years ago. The picture cannot be called a canonical icon, it is not related to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, is not used for services and, judging by the available data, is better known outside the country. Messages connecting this icon with PCU, and even more so telling about it as a certain novelty that caused the excitement among believers, are not true.

Photo on the cover: collage "Checked"