Vadakayil's hero Vladimir Putin persecuting Hindus

Russia's war on religious minorities

While the Russian Orthodox church has a great old world charm because unlike Catholicism which has surrendered much of its mystique to modernity, it keeps alive ancient customs such as  its rich tradition of choirs which formed the basis of the Red Army choir These inspired many a Russian patriot to smash the Nazis and later stare down NATO for sake of mother Russia.

It would seem odd that during the Cold War , Russian Orthodoxy wouldnt have much to say on atheistic mores of the Soviets. Indeed Lenin and Stalin systematically obliterated much of Russian Orthodox structures and culture. But in the post war years, it was regarded as neccesary evil as too many were attached to the old ways. It was indeed not the Russian Orthodox church but Protestants and the Catholics represented by NATO who fought the battle of ideas in defense of religion and liberty and ultimately brought down the Soviet Union.
The Russian Orthodox church was notoriously corrupt even by pre Reformation Church standards and had no qualms about allying themselves with whichever cruel czar or even Mongols and Tatars as long the institution itself was not harmed. This stems from a combination of naked and sociopathic self interest and fatalism where they believe that it is not upto man to affect political change but God.

Like many things associated with pre Soviet era, the Russian Orthodox have benefited from a resurgence of interest from the Russian populace as a standard bearer of Russian nationalism and cultural identity in the face of Islamic terrorism and social chaos and degradation during the Yelstin years and beyond.

Vladmir Putin as referenced in the cartoonish parody in the TV series House of Cards himself is not a true believer in socio cultural matters he espouses- for instance he doesnt really care whether someone wants to be gay or straight. A KGB operative most likely views religion useful for certain social and political goals. And he doesnt care for homosexuality as thats a vice that a country with a low birth rate cant afford. Same goes for excessive alcohol intake which undermines productivity.He even managed to bamboozle the evangelical George W. Bush into believe he was a religious man and offered him a crucifix which his mother owned as something very dear to him.  In reality he cares about the Russian Orthodoxy to the extant that it is important to his populace. There is no reason to believe he harbors any hostile prejudice to any religion in particular besides Islam and to a lesser extant Judaism.

He most likely views Hinduism through the lens of yoga and Bollywood , an interesting and exotic but ultimately harmless distraction for his Bollywood crazy subjects.

The Russian Orthodox church OTOH sees this creeping encroachment of soft power as potentially dangerous to their own hold on their adherents. I personally dont think Russians are likely to mass convert to Hinduism any time soon but Russian Orthodoxy' secret to survival is its paranoia and millenium old ability to elbow out any competitors.

Just as pragmatic Modi's heart isnt in gauraksha ,Hindu Muslim rioting or other anti social activities, there are other powers that restrain and control .Similarly Putin may have no issue with Hindus but he will persecute them if the situation demands as the relation between the President of Russia and the Orthodoxy is similar to that of Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

I suppose the captain will now complain that the Russian Orthodox which harbors a pre modern dark and intense anti Semitism is secretly a Rothschild cabal out to eliminate Sanatana Dharma in the land of "Rishi Varsha"