According to russian media, the religious items marked with "VVP" were blessed by Patriarch Kirill of the russian Orthodox Church.
Details about the specific "especially important tasks" for which participants in the war, their families, and volunteers received these crosses from putin were not disclosed.
According to Ukraine's General Staff, the total combat losses of russian forces in Ukraine from February 24, 2022, to January 7, 2024, amount to approximately 800,010 personnel, with 1,970 casualties reported in the past 24 hours.