Russian Orthodox Church priests held a prayer service in Perm and drove through the city with the “Permskaya” icon of the Mother of God to protect it from Ukrainian drone attacks, the pro-Kremlin Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda – Perm reported, citing the local diocese.

The prayer service and religious procession took place on May 12 “in connection with the tense circumstances in our region,” the diocese said.

Priests made stops at key points around the city during the procession: the village of Froly, the eastern entrance to the city, a chapel at the Bannaya Gora cemetery, near the Perm hydroelectric power station, at a devotional cross at the entrance to the Kirovsky District, and at the chapel church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Verkhniye Mully, KP reported.

“Recently, drone attack alerts were issued in our city several times, and to rid ourselves of this affliction, the head of the Perm metropolitanate held a prayer service. Why specifically with the ‘Permskaya’ icon of the Mother of God? Because it is locally venerated, it is tied to our region, and its veneration was restored not long ago,” the diocese said.

The last comparable procession was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, “to protect residents from the disease,” representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church added.

Since late April, Perm has come under several Ukrainian drone attacks. In late April, drones damaged the Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery (a subsidiary of Lukoil) and the Perm oil pumping station. Fires at these facilities blanketed the city center in smoke, with local residents reporting the smell of burning and an “oil rain.” According to Reuters, Permnefteorgsintez ultimately halted operations, though this was not officially confirmed. In May, one of the drones struck the roof of a residential building in Perm.