Isn’t Vladimir Putin a Christian?
Putin identifies with the Russian Orthodox Church and partners with the Patriarch, Kirill to use the church for political and military advantage, but Putin has installed a pro-choice regime in Russia, has numerous mistresses and has ordered his troops to rape Ukrainian women.
Reportedly, Putin and Kirill have been associates since the 1970s, when both men worked for the KGB. While nobody can know what is in Putin’s heart, his actions seem less than Christlike.
Putin is Pro-Choice
In 2017, Putin stated his pro-choice position on abortion. “In the modern world, the decision is up to the woman herself,” the Russian president said in a press conference. As reported on Fox News, Putin later “affirmed that women have a limited ‘right’ to terminate their pregnancies.” In December of 2023, Putin vetoed a bill that would outlaw private abortion clinics stating “…the rights and freedom of women should be respected.” Putin’s pro-choice stance has been reported in Western media such as Fortune and Fox News, it has been reported domestically in Russia in TASS, the Russian news agency, and in foreign media such as NDTV, the Indian news agency.
Putin’s Mistresses
Putin divorced his wife of 30 years in 2013 and has had multiple relationships including an Olympic gymnast who he is reportedly hiding in Switzerland during the war, his house cleaner and a former Miss Russia.
What Putin Says About his Own Religious Beliefs
CBN reported on Putin’s religious beliefs and quoted him from a 2007 Time Magazine interview where he gave a less than enthusiastic endorsement of Christianity.
“What role does faith play in your own leadership, and what role should faith play in government and in the public sphere?” The Russian leader’s response was measured.
“First and foremost, we should be governed by common sense, but common sense should be based on moral principles first,” he said. “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.”
In a follow-up question, Putin was asked if he believes in a “Supreme God,” and he shot back, “Do you?” He then declined to share his specific beliefs on the matter.
“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,” he said.
Putin’s Troops Using Mass Rape as a Weapon of War
And of course, Putin’s troops have systematically used rape as a weapon of war, and many victims report troops under orders to do so. The Ukrainian National Police report more than 93,000 calls reporting rape and sexual abuse by the Russian troops. International authorities have documented cases of women as old as 83 being raped by Russian soldiers. Some report witnessing teenage girls being raped in front of their family.
The conservative British newspaper the Daily Telegraph reports:
One Russian soldier forced a four-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him in the presence of her parents, according to the report. The 22-year-old mother was raped, her husband sexually violated, and the pair were also forced to have sexual intercourse in the presence of the armed forces.
Seventeen percent of Ukraine remains under Russian occupation, accounting for as many as five million Ukrainians. Likely, the 93,000 calls reporting sexual violence by Russians to the Ukrainian National Police is the tip of the iceberg.
The mass rape of women in occupied areas is consistent with Russia’s history. In WWII, as many as 2 million German women were raped by Soviet occupation forces.