Putin tours newly discovered tomb of 14th-century Russian prince Dmitry Donskoy

President Vladimir Putin toured the Cathedral of the Archangel within the Kremlin complex, where workers had uncovered a previously unknown sarcophagus near the southern wall of the crypt. The tomb was identified as that of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, a 14th-century ruler celebrated for building the first stone Kremlin and defeating Mongol forces at the 1380 Battle of the Don. The Russian Orthodox Church announced that the remains are nearly complete, belong to a man about 180 cm tall, and died of natural causes between ages 35 and 45, aligning with historical records of Donskoy’s death at 39 in 1389.

During the inspection, Putin lit a candle inside the richly frescoed interior and stood beside the white-stone sarcophagus as experts detailed the find. The discovery revises earlier assumptions that Donskoy’s burial site lay elsewhere in the cathedral.