Introduction
Russia (a Wikipedia link) is a country in eastern Europe and northern Asia with a population of over 140 million. It is bounded to the north by the Arctic ocean, to the east by the Bering Sea, to the south by North Korea and China and Mongolia and Kazakhstan, and to the west by Azerbaijan and Georgia and Ukraine and Belarus and Latvia and Estonia and Finland and Norway. Russia also shares borders with Poland and Lithuania due to owning Kaliningrad (a piece of land bordering the Baltic Sea). That’s a total of 14 countries (which is a tie for the most borders – with China). Russia is the largest country in the world. The capital and largest city is Moscow.
Russia is a secular state and has no official religion. It is a symmetric federal republic with a semi-presidential system.
The president is the head of state and is elected by popular vote for not more than two six-year terms (although a change was made to the constitution in 2020 to “zero out” that restriction). The prime minister is the head of government and is appointed by the president after being confirmed by the lower house of parliament (following an election by voters).
History
Kievan Rus’ and Mongol rule
- Early east Slavs: By the 8th century, Slavic tribes occupied Eastern Europe.
- Foundation (862): Viking (Varangian) chief Rurik ruled in Novgorod, leading to the formation of Kievan Rus’.
- Christianization (988): Prince Vladimir the Great selected Christianity (Orthodox) from the Byzantine Empire.
- Mongol invasion (1237–1240): The Mongol Empire defeated Kievan Rus’. Principalities were placed under the Golden Horde for over two hundred years.
Grand Duchy, Tsardom, and empire
- Rise of Moscow: Moscow grew during Mongol suzerainty and broke free under Ivan III in 1480.
- First Tsar (1547): Ivan IV (“the Terrible”) was crowned the first Tsar, expanding the territory.
- Romanov dynasty (1613–1917): Mikhail Romanov took control in 1613. Peter the Great (ruled 1682–1725) modernized the country and declared the Russian Empire in 1721, with St. Petersburg as the capital. Catherine the Great expanded the nation in the late 18th century.
Soviet era
- Revolutions of 1917: The Romanov dynasty ended following the collapse of the monarchy and the Bolshevik seizure of power by Vladimir Lenin.
- USSR Formation (1922): The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was established. Joseph Stalin ruled (1929-1953) and saw the rapid industrialization during World War II.
- Cold War and Collapse: The USSR entered a decades-long “Cold” War with the West. Economic stagnation and Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms (glasnost and perestroika) led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Post-Soviet Russia
- The Yeltsin Era (1991–1999): Boris Yeltsin led the evolved Russian Federation through difficult market and political reforms.
- The Putin Presidency (2000–Present): Vladimir Putin assumed the presidency in 2000. He centralized state power and steered Russian foreign policy through major conflicts, including the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the military invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Soviet Union had a policy of state atheism, however that ended with the dissolution of the union in 1991.
Current day
Religion in Russia (a Wikipedia link) is as follows (as of 2024):
- Christianity: 65%
- Orthodox: 62%
- Other Christian: 3%
- No religion: 21%
- Islam: 9%
- Undeclared: 4%
- Other religions: 1%
The Russian constitution (a Wikipedia link) recognizes the right to freedom of conscience, creed and religion to the people. No religion is able to be established as a state or compulsory religion.
The 1997 law on Freedom of Conscience officially recognized the historical role of four religions (Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism) in Russia’s heritage.
Issues
The country’s secular status (enshrined by the constitution) is being challenged by the increasing social and political influence of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The issue is that the ROC is starting to operate as a de facto state religion.
The danger is that the government, in an attempt to oppose Western liberalism, is leveraging orthodox principles and traditional values to merge state and church interests.
This is manifesting via the introduction of “Fundamentals of Culture and Secular Ethics” into secondary schools, which has raised concerns among minority and secular groups regarding neutrality.
In practice, the ROC collaborates with the government on social policies, such as a strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws and the support for military actions. Same-sex marriage is illegal in Russia. It is illegal to distribute material or practice public expression promoting non-traditional sexual relationships.
Counter-terrorism and anti-extremism laws are regularly used to suppress or ban non-traditional groups. There is a heavy restriction on peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Concerns include the fabrication of charges and the arbitrary detention and torture of critics.
There are also concerns about increasing censorship of the Internet.
There are significant women’s rights issues in Russia. In 2017 Russia decriminalized first-offense domestic battery (reducing it to a fine unless substantial bodily harm was caused). Domestic abuse is frequently dismissed as a private matter. There is restricted access to safe abortion facilities. Feminism has been labelled as an extremist ideology and (amazingly) there are federal prohibitions against the promotion of a “childfree lifestyle”.
Women are legally banned from many roles in the mining, manufacturing and transport industries (to supposedly protect their reproductive health). There is also a substantial gender pay gap with women earning significantly less than men for equivalent roles.
See also the Amnesty International report into Russia.
Unfortunately, Russian is now indistinguishable from a religiously-controlled authoritarian regime.
Secular and atheist groups
There are few secular and humanist groups operating in Russia due to the strict laws that control non-governmental organisations (often due to the aligning of the Russian Orthodox Church with the government). The following have links to the organisation (unless stated otherwise):
Forum
Regarding this forum, remember:
- this is a place to help others, so please be polite,
- that we’re trying to reduce the effects of religion in this society,
- that participants may have been badly affected by religion,
- to respect the privacy of everyone (including yourself),
- the law.
If your motives or actions are otherwise, you will need to find another venue.