Allama Iqbal, the poet-philosopher of the East, once described nationalism as the modern religion, warning how nations could demand the same loyalty and devotion once reserved for God. Today, this observation has become strikingly real. Nationalism now provides symbols, rituals, and even promises of salvation through the survival of the state, much like organized religions once did.
The war in Ukraine offers a vivid example of how nationalism and religion intertwine. The Russian Orthodox Church has consistently aligned itself with the Russian government, blessing its political agendas and framing the war as a sacred mission to defend the unity of the “Russian world.” This fusion of theology and politics has turned faith into an instrument of state power.
But what makes the Ukraine conflict unique is how Christianity itself fractured along national lines. In Kyiv and western Ukraine, the majority of Orthodox believers shifted allegiance from Moscow to the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which received independence (autocephaly) in 2019 from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. This step was seen as both a spiritual declaration and a nationalist act, rejecting centuries of ecclesiastical control by Moscow.
Meanwhile, in eastern regions such as Donetsk and Luhansk, where ethnic Russians form significant populations, most churches remained loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. Here, religious identity and ethnic identity became inseparable, with loyalty to the Russian Church symbolizing loyalty to Russia itself. Similarly, in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, local parishes largely kept allegiance to Moscow, further highlighting how religious institutions followed geopolitical shifts.
Thus, across Ukraine, one can see two competing “religious-national” camps: on one side, Ukrainian Orthodox churches aligned with nationalism and independence; on the other, Moscow-linked churches maintaining allegiance to Russian theology and politics. Even within the same faith, nationalism redefined belonging.
Iqbal’s insight is therefore confirmed. Where once religion stood above politics, nationalism now reshapes religion itself, creating new churches, loyalties, and divisions. Nationalism functions like a modern religion—demanding devotion, commanding sacrifice, and sanctifying political struggles as sacred duties.