Among the many readings and analyzes of the Russian war on Ukraine, some historians and researchers discuss the religious factor as one of the many interpretations of the war. In contrast to the analysis of discourses and situations, a religious teacher in Russia emerges as one of the evidence of these religious interpretations.

On the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, in mid-2020, the main cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces was inaugurated, which is dedicated to the memory of "the victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the military exploits of the Russian people in all wars."

The massive khaki-coloured cathedral resembles a military amusement park celebrating Russian power, and was originally scheduled to open on the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in May 2020, but has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The cathedral - imagined by Russia's defense minister after the country's illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea - embodies the ideology espoused by President Vladimir Putin, with strong support from the Russian Orthodox Church.

It links the Kremlin's vision of Russia and the role of state institutions, the army and the Russian Orthodox Church together.

As a researcher of nationalism, Pennsylvania State University academic Lena Serzhko Harand sees in her article on the Conversation this hard-line religious nationalism as one of the main elements in Putin's motives for invading Ukraine (her mother country).

It also contributes to understanding Moscow's behavior toward the collective "West" and the global order after the Cold War.

Angels and guns

The bell tower of the Armed Forces Church is 75 meters high, symbolizing the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Its dome is 19.45 meters in diameter;

1945 marked the year of victory and defeat of the Nazis.

A smaller dome is 14.18 meters tall, representing the 1,418 days the war lasted, and souvenir weapons were smelted on the ground, with each step serving as a blow to the defeated Nazis, Harand said.

The murals celebrate Russia's military might, despite a history from medieval battles to modern-day wars in Georgia and Syria.

In the paintings, angels command the heavenly and earthly armies, Christ holds a sword, and the Holy Mother - depicted as the Motherland - provides support.

The "cradle" of Christianity

The original plans for the frescoes included a celebration of the conquest of Crimea, with jubilant people holding a banner that read "Crimea is ours" and "Forever with Russia".

In the final version, the controversial "Crimea is ours" was replaced with the more moderate "We are together".

When Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated, describing Crimea as the "cradle" of Russian Christianity.

These legends are based on the medieval story of Prince Vladimir, who converted to Christianity in the 10th century and was baptized in the Crimea.

Then the prince imposed the Christian faith on his subjects in Kyiv, and from there spread to the Russian lands.

The Russian Orthodox Church, also called the Moscow Patriarchate, has always claimed this event as its founding story, and the Russian Empire, which attached itself to the Church, also adopted this foundational story.

"Russian world"

Putin and the head of the Russian Church, Patriarch Kirill, have revived these ideas about 21st century empire in the form of the so-called “Russian world”;

This gave new meaning to a phrase dating back to the Middle Ages.

In 2007, Putin created the Russian World Foundation, which is tasked with promoting the Russian language and culture around the world, as a cultural project to preserve the interpretations of history espoused by the Kremlin.

Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Patriarch Kirill attend a ceremony in front of the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces (Reuters)

For church and state, the idea of ​​a "Russian world" includes the task of making Russia a civilized, spiritual, cultural and political center to counter the secular liberal ideology of the West, and this vision has been used to justify policies at home and abroad.

Great Patriotic War

Another mosaic depicts celebrations of Soviet forces defeating Nazi Germany in the "Great Patriotic War", as World War II is called in Russia.

The photo featured soldiers holding a portrait of Joseph Stalin, who led the Soviet Union through the war, among a crowd of war veterans.

It is reported that this mosaic was removed before the opening of the church.

The Great Patriotic War has a special, even sacred, place in Russian views of history.

The Soviet Union suffered heavy losses (26 million people is a conservative estimate of losses).

Aside from the massive devastation, many Russians eventually see the war as a holy war, in which the Soviets defended their motherland and the entire world from the evil of Nazism.

Under Putin, the glorification of war and Stalin's role in victory reached epic proportions.

Nazism is seen - for very good reasons - as a manifestation of absolute evil, according to the author.

The rhetoric of this ultra-religious nationalism emerged at a time when Russia threatened and eventually invaded Ukraine. During a speech on February 24, 2022, Putin strangely called for the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine, and spoke of the brotherly relations between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples. , denied the existence of the Ukrainian state.

In his opinion, the sovereignty of Ukraine is an example of chauvinistic ultra-nationalism.

The writer says that Putin's claim that the Ukrainian government is run by the Nazis is absurd, yet the manipulation of this image makes sense within the framework of this ideology. The portrayal of the government in Kyiv as evil helps paint the war in Ukraine in black and white.

Salvation mission

Concrete geopolitical issues may be driving Putin's war in Ukraine, but his actions also appear to be motivated by a desire to perpetuate his glory as he restores "Greater Russia" to its former size and influence. Thus, Putin must emerge as a powerful defender who defeats Russia's enemies.

The Russian president himself has appeared in earlier copies of the cathedral's frescoes, along with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

However, the mosaic was removed after the controversy, with Putin himself reportedly ordering its removal, saying it was too early to celebrate the country's current leadership.

Стены главного храма вооруженных сил России, строительство которого заканчивается в подмосковном парке «Патриот», украсят мозаикой с изображениями Владимира Путина, Сергея Шойгу и Иосифа Сталина.

Фото: МБХ медиаhttps://t.co/O5AlRk3Pbl pic.twitter.com/TUxHW8LxXO

— ЧТД (@Chtede) April 23, 2020

Patriarch Kirill - who described Putin's rule as a "miracle of God" - said the new cathedral "hopes that future generations will pick up the spiritual wand from previous generations and save the homeland from internal and external enemies."

This fickle religious nationalism is evident in the militarism unfolding in Ukraine, says the author.

On February 24, 2022, the day the Russian war on Ukraine began, Patriarch Kirill called for a quick solution and the protection of civilians in Ukraine, while reminding Orthodox Christians of the fraternal relationship between the two peoples.

But he did not condemn the war itself, and referred to "evil forces" trying to destroy the unity of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church.