Its role should not be exaggerated. But surely Patriarch Kirill and other key bishops let the Russians know that they continue to see Putin as an ally and a guarantee.

What role did the Russian Orthodox Church play in the aborted Wagner revolt? Two extreme theories advanced by some Russian and international interpreters appear to be equally false: that Patriarch Kirill and the Orthodox Bishops “saved Putin,” and that they were totally irrelevant.

The most reliable statistics of church attendance in Russia even at the most solemn liturgical feasts show depressing numbers: 2% at Christmas and 3% at Easter. These statistics, however, need to be interpreted. Church attendance is not the only indicator of how secularised a country is, and this is even truer if we consider that, unlike Roman Catholicism, the Orthodox Church does not regard attending Mass every Sunday as mandatory.

Particularly under Vladimir Putin, the Moscow Patriarchate has renewed its old pact with the powers that be. They protect the Orthodox Church from competition (including by “liquidating” the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other groups that proselytise among Orthodox believers), and the Patriarchate organises the consensus for Putin and collects and reports information about the nation’s deepest feelings and moods. The Orthodox Church still commands a certain cultural power in Russia, although the waning statistics show that it is not undisputed and is being progressively eroded.

A common threat

There is no doubt that Patriarch Kirill mobilised the Church to side with Putin during the Wagner incident. On June 24, Kirill appeared on national TV and in a short statement said in unequivocal terms that he “support[ed] the efforts of the Head of the Russian State [Putin] aimed at preventing unrest in our country.”

“Military confrontation, he said, is a test in which we, even more than at other times, are called upon to carefully preserve national unity, pray to God, and support the soldiers and each other with all our might. Today, when our brothers fight and die on the fronts, selflessly fulfilling their duty, when the enemies are making every effort to destroy Russia, any attempt to sow discord within the country is the greatest crime that has no justification.

Lifting up prayers for a peaceful resolution of the current situation, as the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, I urge those who, having taken up arms in their hands, are ready to direct them against their brethren, to think again. In the face of a common threat, one must maintain unity of mind, overcome grievances and personal ambitions. No matter how difficult it may sometimes be.”

Some pointed out that the words of an authoritative bishop, Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov, although presented in Russian media as supportive of Putin, were somewhat more ambiguous. He said that Russians should always “keep unity with those whom God’s Providence has put to rule Russia. No matter how this person is called in history: Grand Duke, Tsar, Emperor, or Chairman of the State Defense Committee and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the USSR … Today President Vladimir Putin bears this burden, cross and responsibility”—but perhaps not tomorrow.