How Moscow is using the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool to suppress religious freedom

Equating political dissent with heresy became a central tactic of the Russian state, enabling it to silence opposition and enforce ideological conformity based on an orthodoxy of the Russian church and “Russkiy Mir”. Nor are these efforts limited to Russia’s geographical borders. Attacks on alternative religions to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) have become a key part of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Concept Russkiy Mir, or Russian worldpositions Russia as more than a nation; is a unique civilization whose culture and history are proclaimed superior in a wide sphere of influence, but especially in Ukraine and Belarus. The Kremlin has weaponized this ideology, owning the authority and resources of the ROC, in what a 2024 study by the Institute for Democracy and Development “PolitA” characterized as a extension of state policy to suppress diversity and stifle freedoms of thought, speech and belief. By interweaving political allegiance with religious doctrine, the state has effectively eliminated any religious expression or political perspective that deviates from the Church’s Kremlin-aligned narrative.

Russky Mir was further codified into ROC doctrine by Patriarch Kirill with the recent publication of a new manual “Toward Holy Russia: Patriotism and Faith.” The publication deepens the division not only between Russian and Ukrainian believers, but also between Russia and Europe and even the wider Orthodox Church community. In April 2024, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) recognized ROC as “an instrument of Kremlin propaganda”. Later in August, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, denounced the militaristic, ethno-nationalist turn of the ROC as heretical.

According to a 2023 US State Department reportRussian authorities have investigated, detained, imprisoned, tortured, and abused individuals based on their religious beliefs or affiliations, particularly targeting those classified as “extremists,” “terrorists,” or “undesirables.” Affected groups include Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mejlis of Crimean Tatars, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Tablighi Jamaat, followers of Turkish theologian Said Nursi, the Church of Scientology, Falun Gong, and various evangelical Protestant groups, along with various civil society organizations. Terms such as “cults” and “sects” are deliberately used to stigmatize organizations that may have societal influence but are not loyal to the regime.

focus especially a ruthless suppression by the ROC and the Russian state are other denominations of Christianity, especially Protestantism, which professes the individual’s relationship with God unmediated by earthly authorities. According to the ROC, Protestant churches that oppose the state-run dictatorships of the ROC are effectively cults that it distorts the essence of Christianity. Under the pretext of protecting society from these so-called cults, anti-cult organizations and their representatives intentionally spread defamatory information about these groups in the media and organize campaigns to discredit them.

The intellectual force behind these efforts is the Russian Association of Centers for the Study of Religions and Sects (RISE). RACIRS is the umbrella organization that unites regional centers that address “destructive sectarianism in the post-Soviet space,” in the organization’s words. The centers carry out systematic monitoring of the activities of new religious movements and sects in Russia. RACIRS also provides a platform for religious experts to publish and disseminate research and analysis to a wider audience as part of its effort to discredit alternative religious practices.

According to a RACIRS report regarding the banning of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, the religious movement “demonstrates a hostile attitude towards our country, our people and our traditions” and is particularly dangerous due to its methods of suppressing individual will and engaging in open psychological manipulation , similar to methods used by openly terrorist organizations. The authors of the statement also highlighted the alleged collection of information about Russian citizens for transmission to the United States.

Russia’s oppression of religious freedom has spread beyond its borders as an essential part of its expansionist neo-imperialist aspirations. National Institute of Strategic Studies in Kyiv rEPORTS that since the initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the temporarily occupied territories have turned into spaces of religious non-freedom. Collaborating authorities and separatist groups have implemented a model of state-religion relations similar to that of the Russian Federation, where the limits of religious freedom are determined by the willingness of religious communities to cooperate with the Putin regime and/or publicly demonstrate their loyalty. to him.

Echoing the crackdown in Russia, occupying forces in Ukraine launched a concerted campaign against dissident religious organizations under the pretext of combating “cults” and “extremists.” This offensive uses a number of inhumane and illegal tactics, including the violent seizure of places of worship and the intimidation, kidnapping and torture of worshippers. Notable targets include the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, segments of the Crimean Tatar Muslim community, and various Protestant denominations, all labeled as “undesirables” by the authorities.

With the onset of full-scale warfare in February 2022, terror against clergy, religious centers and worshipers intensified, with targeted bombing and destruction of churches, houses of prayer, synagogues, mosques and other religious structures becoming commonplace. “Religion on fire” project. he documented more than 500 religious buildings were destroyed, with 9 percent completely destroyed and 16 percent suffering irreparable damage.

Kidnappings and killings of religious figures of various denominations have also escalated. The project’s database includes information on at least twenty-five clergy members killed, along with civilians seeking refuge in religious sites. For example, seventeen civilians died on June 19 during the bombing of the Bismillah Islamic Cultural Center in Severodonetsk. Despite these atrocities, Patriarch Kirill continues to publicly bless Russian soldiers as they go into battle against Ukraine and frames the invasion as a “holy war.”

The ROC also had a key role in shaping Western views of dissemination warfare misinformation which influences the European political landscape through the use of an international network of anti-cult organizations linked to RACIRS.

While some in the West sympathize with the views of the ROC, Ukraine-led efforts to catalog the politicization, corruption, and ideological contradictions of the Russian church have been effective in countering the disinformation promulgated by the ROC. In April 2024, the partnership between leaders of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Ukrainian Baptist Church was instrumental in sustaining US aid to Ukraine. Faith Leaders Coalition incentive US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member and former official of their denomination, to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

Hannah Daniel, director of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Commission on Ethics and Religious Liberty, pointed out that Southern Baptists have consistently opposed authoritarian regimes that restrict religious freedom. “The resolve of our parliamentarians to stand with Ukraine has wavered despite the brutal persecution of Christians, especially Baptists, the kidnapping of children and the destruction of churches due to Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.” she said.

This call to faith eventually became one of the decisive factors influencing the eventual passage of the aid package. His example suggests an important role for religious leaders to play alongside journalists and policymakers in disarming disinformation and the Russian culture war. Such a holistic approach could be applied in countries vulnerable to Russian propaganda and espionage masquerading as religious activities, such as Moldova.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Kennan Institute.