Russian tanks, missiles, and drones have destroyed homes and schools and killed more than 16,800 civilians. But they are only the visible weapons of war. Behind them is something less visible but no less consequential: Putin’s Russian Imperialism 2.0, an ideology that seeks not merely to conquer Ukrainian territory, but to erase Ukrainian identity, sovereignty, and culture.
This is not just a threat to Ukraine; it is a threat to Europe and, left unchecked, to freedom everywhere. Putin’s Russian Imperialism 2.0 borrows heavily from Soviet authoritarianism, with one important exception: the Russian Orthodox Church, which the communists persecuted, has now become an instrument of the Russian state. Soviet communism tried to replace Christianity with the state. Putinism enlists a form of Christianity in service to the state.
In occupied Ukraine, independent religious expression is suppressed, churches closed, and religious leaders imprisoned, exiled, or worse, while the Moscow-aligned Russian Orthodox Church is privileged. Evangelical and Catholic churches have been closed, with some sanctuaries turned into operational centers for the occupiers.
During my visit to Ukraine, Denys Uliutin, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity, briefed me on Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s religious heritage, damaging or destroying hundreds of religious structures, a pattern documented by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Ukrainian officials have also documented 67 religious leaders and clergy killed or who died as a result of torture in occupied territories.
But there is more to Putinism than crushing religious institutions and leaders who refuse to surrender their kingdom authority to an earthly tyrant. If attacking churches is an assault on Ukraine’s spiritual identity, Russifying its children is an assault on its future. In occupied territories, children are subjected to Russian curriculum, forced use of the Russian language, citizenship requirements, and expressions of allegiance to Russia.