How Russia's Fake Spirituality Became a Key Weapon in the Kremlin's Disinformation Toolbox

[Emrys]

Under Putin, Christianity has been turned into a political tool to spread false narratives about the war in Ukraine

Morten Hammeken and Pekka Kallioniemi 28 May 2025

Here’s something to consider for future clergymen about to finish their theologian studies: How about a trip to the frontline? To most future priests, such an offer might sound strange and not the least bit tempting.

For Russian ordinands, it is merely the latest example of the fusion between the Orthodox Church of Russia (UOC-MP) and the Putin regime’s wars of conquest. Last week, Patriarch Kirill unveiled a new master’s program called “Training and Interaction of Military Clergy With the Armed Forces”. The courses are set to train ‘military clergy’ in Rostov-on-Don close to the fighting in Ukraine.

While the Orthodox Church in Russia retains a formal independence, it is de facto subservient to the whims of the state, and in the current totalitarian climate, Vladimir Putin is the state, to paraphrase Louis XIV.

For Putin, it is imperative that his invasion of Ukraine is framed as a spiritual war in defence of Russo-Christian values. It is therefore hardly surprising that the Church’s supreme leader gave his blessing to the war, which he has labelled “a holy war”.

On the frontlines, orthodox priests bless Russian tanks and missiles while Maria Zakharova, Putin’s chief propagandist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adds to the Christian fervour by describing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “satanic”.

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/05/28/russia-war-ukraine-fake-spirituality/

[Emrys]

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29 May 2025

Russia often claims to defend Christian values. But in reality, churches that don’t support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime are banned, and their clergy face systemic repression. In this investigative documentary, No God but Theirs, the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit uncovers the persecution of Ukrainian Christian communities in Melitopol — a city in eastern Ukraine now under Russian occupation.

Melitopol has long been a place of religious and cultural diversity, where Christian churches — including vibrant Protestant communities — coexisted peacefully. But after Russia’s full-scale invasion, everything changed. As occupation took hold, churches became more than places of worship — they became pillars of resilience. Locals gathered for daily prayers in the city’s central square. Russia responded with a crackdown.