Vladimir Rozanskij

The construction of a Mormon church in Novosibirk was forbidden, despite Supreme Court ruling. Police raids in private homes of Jehovah's Witnesses: soldiers in full combat gear and ranks of informers. A Hindu "guru" also opposed and spied on by false disciples.

The Karelian islands were the first concentration camp of the Gulag Archipelago and a great center of spirituality. But today's monks have decided to make it a center for religious tourism, eliminating or hiding the places of martyrdom of many Christians. The hill of shootings transformed into a pavilion for weddings. Monks collaborated with Bolshevik power.

Both are protagonists of the Russian "religious renaissance" after the end of communism. Kirill proposes the "Social Doctrine of the Russian Orthodox Church", which is Putin's political manifesto; Tikhon proposes faith as a "guardian of moral values". He is Putin’s "spiritual father". A "new symphony" between Church and State. The risks of a new caesar-papism and the re-reading of history that enhances ​​Stalin and the "necessary sacrifice" of the Church at the hands of the State.

The list includes114 members of the administration, and 91 "oligarchs", close to President Putin. The excluded fear a loss of prestige in the eyes of the Russians themselves. Putin makes fun of his not being included. Public opinion even more compacted around its supreme leader. Mikhail Fedotov: "It’s as if they randomly chose names form the phone directory".

Throughout the Christian East, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated on January 19, is even more important than Christmas. This year there was the "consecration of the oceans": the Arctic polar ocean at Tiksi; the Atlantic in Reykjavik; the Pacific in Thailand and Primorje on the Sea of ​​Japan; the Indian Ocean in the United Arab Emirates. The "extreme orthodoxy" of the holy bath of Vladimir Putin and of the journalist Ksenja Sobchak.

New tensions between Ukrainian and pro-Russian nationalists, among the faithful of the Kiev Autonomous Patriarchate and Orthodox of obedience to the Moscow Patriarchate. The spark: the refusal of an Orthodox church in Moscow to officiate the funeral of a child who died in an accident, because he was baptized "a heretic" in the Church of Kiev. Monks of the two Churches blocked at the Kiev caves. Mutual violence towards sacred buildings.

In a recent film interview, the "most orthodox" of Russian president’s tries to link early Christianity, Valaam's monasticism, communism and Lenin, as unified components of the Russian soul. The Orthodox barter: Lenin's burial for the recognition of the relics of Tsar Nicholas.

Dmitry Kiselyov, one of the most influential journalists on state TV, interviewed the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow. During the tête-à-tête, the latter defended civilisation from moral degradation, issuing dire warnings against the digital economy and credit cards. About 2,5 million believers participated in the Orthodox Christmas (out of 145 million Russians).

The expert on religious and social issues lists the successes and failures of 2017. On the positive side there is Putin's visit to the Orthodox Synod, the dialogue between Kirill and Filaret of Kyiv, and the return of properties to the Catholic Church in Moscow. On the negative are the anti-Jehovah's Witnesses campaign, the Jewish “fault” in Tsar Nicholas II’s murder, and the forgetfulness towards the Protestant Churches. For Kirill, reforming the Moscow Patriarchate entails the same problems Pope Francis faces.

The "Asian turnaround" in politics and the economy is increasingly evident. Among many successes, the failure of Russia’s exclusion from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. But South Korea promises "nine cooperation bridges" and a warm welcome for Moscow athletes.

In an interview with RIA-Novosti, the Russian ambassador to the Holy See underlines the common threats to which Russia and the Vatican must respond: family, marriage, birth and the education of children. Increased collaboration after the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Havana. Commitment in theological and cultural dialogue. Possibility of Papal visit to Moscow ever closer.

Expected cost for anti-missile systems, upgrades of Ratnik equipment for "soldiers of the future": armoured materials, day and night vision, psycho-morphological adapters. In addition, tanks, cruisers and 10 naval projects. Obtaining military self-sufficiency is Putin's plan for the next presidential term.