Moscow (AsiaNews/Agencies) Russians soldiers are increasingly religious. Not only one in three says he is a believer but more and more say they take part in religious activities.
In ten years the number of believers has tripled and is now five times higher than the Russian average, this according to the Moscow Patriarchate, which released on its website results from a survey conducted by the Training Division of Russia's Armed Forces.
"In two years the number of believers in the army and navy has grown by one and half, three times since 1994," said Alexandre Sourovtsev, a member of the Patriarchate's liaison service with the army and the security forces.
Among army believers, 76 per cent are Orthodox, 9 per cent Muslim, 3 per cent Buddhist. The remaining 12 per cent belong to other religions.