News and Views
Religious Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the common Orthodox character of Russia and Ukraine in his arguments for closer alignment between the countries. On one side is the Russian Orthodox Church and its Ukrainian denomination, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate. On the other is the Orthodox Church of Ukraine-Kyiv Patriarchate. Putin’s efforts to restore Russian prestige have included elevating the Russian Orthodox Church to the center of Russian identity and leveraging the potential religious soft power of the Moscow-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox […]