Scientists will check Dmitry Donskoy's DNA for belonging to the Rurikovich family.

A paleogenetic study of samples taken from the relics of the holy Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy can confirm his belonging to the Rurikovich family. This was announced on August 20 by Academician Nikolai Makarov, Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

The scientist noted that specialists have already taken the necessary samples for analysis. According to him, the study does not aim to personally attribute the prince, but the institute hopes that the results will indicate his direct connection with the Rurik dynasty.

"The genetic profiles of several pre-Mongol Rurik people have been restored in Russian laboratories. So we will have the opportunity to compare [Dmitry Donskoy's DNA]," he told TASS.

The head of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences emphasized that the identification of the remains is based on a set of data. The researchers rely on the chronicle information about the location of the burial in the Archangel Cathedral and the architectural features of the found white stone sarcophagus, characteristic of the period no later than the 14th century.

"The totality of historical, archaeological, and anthropological observations exactly corresponds to the historical information about Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, his life and death," the academician added.

The Donskoy Code: what secrets of the Prince will the study of the relics reveal

On August 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the Archangel Cathedral, where the remains of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy were discovered during restoration work. There, the head of state took part in a prayer service. During his visit to the cathedral, Putin was shown a shrine with the relics of the prince and told exactly how the restorers managed to gain access to the sarcophagus with them. He called the finding of the relics unique and amazing.

Dmitry Donskoy died in 1389 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1988, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as a holy prince.