interview
Former Orthodox priest Andrei Kordochkin explains why Vladimir Putin’s religiosity is based on power, sexual violence and superstition – and what role the church plays in the war against Ukraine.
Feb 3, 2026, 7:57 p.mFeb 3, 2026, 8:22 p.m
Ivan Ruslyannikov / ch media
Putin at an Orthodox Christmas party in Moscow in 2026. Image: keystone
Andrei Kordochkin was an Orthodox priest of the Russian Orthodox Church for many years. After his public criticism of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, he was suspended and moved to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2023. Today he supports clergy who are under pressure for their stance on the war.
In an interview with CH Media, Kordochkin explains what faith Putin follows, why the Russian president uses language of sexual violence against Ukraine and how the Russian Orthodox Church forces priests to support the soldiers.
The Kremlin claims that Vladimir Putin also took part in Orthodox ice bathing this year. However, unlike previous years, no current photos have been published. In your opinion, is Putin even a religious person?
Andrei Kordochkin: If we asked Patriarch Kirill, he would answer that Russia is ruled by a real Orthodox leader who openly professes his faith. Others are of the opinion that Putin is not a religious person, but is only exploiting the church issue to win the sympathy of believers. My point of view is that Putin is not devoid of some religiosity, but this belief has nothing to do with Christianity.
Rather?
The fact is that Putin speaks very little about his religiosity. Let us recall the Russian President’s speech in December 2023 about a gender-neutral God in the West. Putin was so horrified that he quoted from the Gospel: “Father, forgive them; because they don’t know what they’re doing.” Putin himself didn’t know what he was talking about, since it wasn’t about a gender-neutral God, but about gender-neutral language applicable to God. However, this shows that, in Putin’s understanding, God has a gender, and that gender is male.
After the Orthodox Christmas celebration, Putin speaks with military personnel and their families.Image: keystone
Putin’s religiosity is shaped by a post-Soviet idea of masculinity in which strength and violence are central values. This logic is similar to what Hector Garcia describes in his book “Alpha God”: People who glorify power and dominance create a god in their own image. Putin’s religious language also follows this pattern.
What does this mean for his politics?
The alpha male was primarily concerned with dominance, reproduction, and the capture of space for himself and those he led. Intimidation, territorial expansion, sexual control and violence were his main preoccupations. So when Putin uses the language of sexual violence towards Ukraine (“Whether you like it or not, bear with it, my beautiful” – editor’s note), this also says something about his religiosity.
Does that mean that Putin unites all sorts of incompatible faiths in his religiosity?
For example, when Putin says that the Orthodox Church is closer to Islam than to Western Christian denominations, he does not mean religious doctrine and the inner experience of man, but rather the political architecture in which state, civil and spiritual power are in fact not separated. For Putin, the way Iran works is more understandable than that of Switzerland. When the Russian president addresses the soldiers on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas and says that they are essentially completing the mission of Jesus Christ the Savior, he is already a preacher and spiritual leader, not just a state official.
How does Putin feel about Jesus Christ in this case?
Putin once mocked saints Boris and Gleb for refusing to use force to fight for power. Anyone who does not understand this attitude as a role model cannot understand the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For Putin, Jesus Christ is a weakling.
The Kremlin chief congratulates Patriarch Kirill on the 17th anniversary of his inauguration at the Kremlin in Moscow, February 1, 2026.Image: keystone
A few years ago, research was published about how Putin bathed in baths made of deer antlers together with former Defense Minister Shoigu. So is Putin superstitious?
A priest told me that the Secret Service used an animal to test different locations to determine the president’s place before a church ceremony in St. Petersburg. This shows: Putin is superstitious. He believes that words, names and rituals influence reality. The fact that he never publicly named his greatest opponent Alexei Navalny during his lifetime follows the same logic: in archaic thinking, naming gives power.
What ideological role does the Russian Orthodox Church play in connection with the war in Ukraine?
Patriarch Kirill composed a prayer for Holy Russia in 2022. A number of priests refused to read it. They were all punished for this. The text of this prayer contains a phrase about the united people of Holy Russia, which in effect repeats Putin’s thesis before the attack on Ukraine. That is, according to the Russian Orthodox Church, Ukrainians are not a united people and therefore have no right to statehood. In fact, within the framework of this ideology, they only have the right to exist if they give up their national identity. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the torture of Ukrainians in the occupied territories because of their refusal to be Russified. One of Russia’s leading political ideologues, Alexander Dugin, says that Ukrainians are Russians who have lost their minds.
Among Russian patriots the phrase “We are Russians! God with us!” widespread. What destructive spiritual and moral consequences can such a belief have for the population of Russia?
“God with us” are words from a biblical prophecy about the coming of God into the world. In this context, however, their meaning changes and they become a declaration of national superiority. According to my observations, the processes in the USA and Russia are different, but there is something that unites them: the desire for greatness (“Make America Great Again”). Such ideologies are almost always accompanied by violence – internally and externally. Russia is demonstrating this brutally today against Ukraine and its own people.
How can a sense of collective responsibility develop in Russian society under such conditions?
Many Russians retreat into the attitude that they cannot influence anything. But responsibility only arises when truth is stated and justice is established. The extent to which Russians will feel responsible depends largely on whether there will be trials against war criminals and whether people will be told the truth. As Christians we need to talk about forgiveness and reconciliation, but these are impossible when there is no justice and no truth. This is the experience of post-war Europe, and it can certainly be transferred to Russia.