Is Putin a Christian?

Answer: Maybe

Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.

The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russian, President Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia has been in the news for a while now. He has received mass criticism worldwide and questions concerning his religious belief. Many people and even the media have painted Putin to be the evilest man in the world currently, who is using his orthodox faith and God’s name to justify his invasion and violence in Ukraine.

Before we go further, who is Putin? Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in Leningrad, Russia in 1952. Putin is a politician and ex-intelligence officer who has served as the president/prime minister of Russia since 1999 till date. In 2021, President Putin made constitutional amendments and signed a law that will permit him to stand an election in the country two more times. This automatically means that his presidency can be extended to 2036.

It was in President Putin’s fourth term as president that he launched the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which saw the killing and destruction of lives and property and was recently issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court in connection to his alleged involvement in illegal child abductions during the war.

President Putin has worn a crucifix around his neck most of his life and has shown some religious affiliations. These have made people question his religious association. It has been rumored that Putin is a Christian and you’ll find that out in this article as it will answer the question: is Putin a Christian?

Is Putin Religious?

To be labeled “religious,” such a person must publicly show affiliations with a particular religion and his lifestyle must reflect the teachings of that religious group. Putin has always been open about his religious beliefs. He links some of his practices and activities to a particular religious group.

President Putin was raised by a devout Christian mother but his father was an atheist. He was secretly baptized by his mom into the Russian Orthodox Church and was given a crucifix after the baptism which he wears till now. 

Putin still embraces that religion as evident on several occasions. There are new speculations that the Russian-Ukrainian war was also motivated by religious reasons. Several reports have stated that Putin intends to bring back the myth of the “Holy Rus,” a Russian Orthodox Christian organization headed by Ivan Otrakovsky, organized to protect Christian churches from desecration by vandals. 

Holy Rus traditionally consisted of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Belarus, under the leadership of Aleksandr Lukashenko is still in the fold but Ukraine under Volodymyr Zelensky who’s seeking EU membership and leaning towards the West does not want to be a part of the Holy Rus.

In 2019, the Ukrainian church broke away from the Russian church and declared its independence but Putin did not accept this. The Russian president however regards this act as Ukraine being influenced by Western culture which has robbed them of their Christian heritage. 

Putin describes his actions and himself as the “defender of Russian Orthodoxy” and intends to regain control of Ukraine to bring them back into the Russian Orthodox. In a recent report by CBN, Putin shared a view of Ukraine being part of Russia’s spiritual space, he said:

 “Ukraine is not just a neighboring country for us,” he recently said. “It is an inalienable part of our history, culture, and spiritual space.”

Aside from talking about faith and religion, President Vladimir Putin has also been seen on several occasions publicly taking part in religious rituals and presenting himself as one who takes his religion and faith very seriously, or what we can term “religious extremism.” 

In 2012, he sentenced a female punk rock band “Pussy Riot” to seven years imprisonment for singing and protesting outside Christ the Saviour Cathedral. Archimandrite Tikhon, the Father Superior of Sretensky who has a personal relationship with Putin disclosed that Putin prays daily in a small chapel, very close to the presidential office and this says a lot about his faith and spirituality.

During his 2018 re-election, Putin was captured immersing himself in the freezing waters of a lake with a cross on his neck to mark the Orthodox Christian feast of Epiphany, an event used to commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. We can’t tell if some of the religious activities Putin engages in are public stunts or if he is truly a religious person.

Does Putin believe in God?

President Putin has always made ambiguous statements when asked if he believes in God. One might notice elements of spirituality in his lifestyle and hold strong opinions that he upholds his faith, but can the same be said of his belief in God?

In a 2007 interview with Time Magazine, when asked if he believes in a supreme God, his response was quite ambiguous. According to him: 

“There are things I believe, which should not, in my position, at least, be shared with the public at large for everybody’s consumption, because that would look like self-advertising or a political striptease.”

When asked about his views on God and the role his faith plays in his leadership, he added: 

“First and foremost, we should be governed by common sense, but common sense should be based on moral principles first. And it is not possible today to have morality separated from religious values. I will not expand, as I don’t want to impose my views on people who have different viewpoints.” 

Putin has revealed that he is a Russian Orthodox believer but has severally avoided questions that seek to find out his belief in God and not just in the religion. 

Enough has been seen and heard about his faith and spirituality, but not much about his relationship with God. For instance, during a stadium concert in Russia in early 2022, in his speech presentation, Putin described the assault on Ukranians as a salvation for Ukraine and a religious duty to relieve them of suffering. He quoted the bible to justify these acts. In his words:

“I recall the words from the Holy Scripture: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Is Putin a Christian?

Christianity is a religion based on the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ. True Christians are followers of Jesus Christ and their lifestyles reflect his teachings. President Putin has publicly identified himself as an Orthodox Christian baptized into the Russian Orthodox Church through his mother.

The Russian president revealed that his mom was a devout Christian while his dad was an atheist, which is why he was baptized secretly. 

Many have questioned Putin’s form of Christianity owing to his campaign of violence in Ukraine and other violent activities. There are some reports that Russia’s version of Christianity is quite different from that of other parts of the world.

Mark Tooley, president of The Institute on Religion and Democracy wrote recently in a World Magazine article that:

“Russian Orthodoxy for centuries saw itself as guardian of the true faith in contrast to Western Catholicism and Protestantism and Putin sees himself as a Messianic figure.”

Some journalists have claimed that Putin parades himself as a true defender of Christians worldwide and is on a mission to rebuild Christendom. For example; in his bombing of ISIS, serving as the leader of the Third Rome and invaded Ukraine for reasons that involved Christianity. 

In 2013, Putin made a controversial speech about the West which was seen as a criticism of Western religious values. The statement goes:

“ We see many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilization. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious, and even sexual. They are implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan.”

Tim Costello, a reverend published an opinion article in The Guardian in 2022. In his article, he gave excerpts from his meeting with the president, an example of which was Putin’s comment on young Russians going back to church and still having his historic cross around his neck. President Putin has also been seen occasionally participating in Christian religious activities like the feast of Epiphany, set aside to mark the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

Is Putin Baptized?

Vladimir Putin was baptized secretly by his devout Christian mother into the Russian Orthodox Church and still holds the faith today. His baptism was hidden because he grew up under the Communist regime in Leningrad, a regime that frowned at the public display of religion and his father was an Atheist. Putin was given a crucifix during his baptism and he confirmed that he had worn that particular one around his neck most of his life.

What did Putin Say about Jesus?

Putin has made several comments about Christianity but one of the most striking was when he quoted the words of Jesus Christ from the bible to justify his violent activities in Ukraine. At a pro-war rally in Moscow in March, Putin stated that his motive for the war was to get people out of genocide and misery. According to him:

“to get people out of their misery, out of this genocide, that is the main reason, the motive, and purpose of the military operation that we began in Donbas and Ukraine.” 

He paraphrased a quote statement Jesus made in John 15:13. In his words: 

“There is no greater love than if someone gives his soul for his friends.”

Conclusion 

Putin’s status as a Christian is somewhat complex, and from the evidence we’ve gathered, we don’t think he is a Christian, but we don’t really know. The Russian President has showcased practices that portray that of a Christian and some characters and practices that many argue are not Christian in nature. President Putin’s status as a Christian depends on how one might choose to see it and what the person thinks of Christianity. His practices and comments about his beliefs are most times ambiguous, so we leave it for you to decide, having gone through everything we’ve found out in this article concerning Putin.  

Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!