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| New York Times, Sept. 13, 2016. Simon Shuster, ‘‘Russia’s President Putin Casts Himself as Protector of the Faith TIME, Sept. 12, 2016. corruption by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and other high- ranking officials. At least 1,750 Russian citizens were detained after June 2017 anti-corruption protests, according to the Russian monitoring group OVD-Info. 100 Cultural Forces and Religious Institutions Under Putin, the Kremlin has engaged and boosted cultural forces and religious institutions inside Russia to provide an additional bulwark against the democratic values and actors it paints as anathema to the country’s interests. One prominent example is the strong ties that Putin and his inner circle have forged with the Russian Orthodox Church and its affiliates. 101 The Russian Orthodox Church enjoys special recognition under Russian law, while in contrast, laws such as the 2006 NGO laws and the 2016 ‘‘Yarovaya’’ package of counterterrorism laws have enabled pressure against non-Russian Orthodox religious entities through cumbersome registration processes and administrative constraints, restrictions on proselytizing, and expanded surveillance. 102 Addition- ally, the US. State Department has reported that the Russian state has provided security and official vehicles to the Russian Orthodox patriarch (but not to other religious leaders) and noted reports that the Russian Orthodox Church has been a primary beneficiary of presidential grants ostensibly designed to reduce NGO dependence on foreign funding. 103 In return for the state’s favor, the Russian Orthodox Church has promoted Putin and the state’s policies at multiple turns. A former editor of the official journal of the Moscow Patriarchate (the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church and its affiliated churches outside the country) told The New York Times in 2016 that The Russian Orthodox church has become an instrument of the Russian state. It is used to extend and legitimize the interests of the Kremlin.’’ 104 This is noteworthy given Putin’s roots in the KGB—the tip of the Soviet spear in restricting religious activity during the Communist era—and it reflects a careful cultivation of his identity as a man of faith and a defender of the Orthodox faithful. The image of Putin as defender of traditional religious and cultural values has also been leveraged by the Kremlin as both an ideology and a source of influence abroad.’’ 105 In projecting itself as the natural ally of those who pine fora more secure, illiberal world free from the tra- dition-crushing rush of globalization, multiculturalism and women’s and gay rights the Russian government has been able to mobilize VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 24 Andrew Higgins, In Expanding Russian Influence, Faith Combines With Firepower The New York Times, Sept. 13, 2016. 107 Gleb Bryanski, Russian Patriarch Calls Putin Era Miracle Of God ’’ Reuters, Feb. 8, 2012. US. Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report for 2012, Russia, at 9. Ellen Barry, ‘‘Russia’s History Should Guide Its Future, Putin Says The New York Times, Dec. 12, 2012. Carl Schreck, Holy Slight How Russia Prosecutes For Insulting Religious Feelings ’’ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Aug. 15, 2017. Lucian Kim, Russian President Signs Law to Decriminalize Domestic Violence National Public Radio, Feb. 16, 2017. US. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001, Russia. some Orthodox actors in places like Moldova and Montenegro to vigorously oppose integration with the West. 106 The Kremlin’s cultivation of the Russian Orthodox Church intensified following the massive 2011-12 street protests opposing Putin’s return to the presidency. Patriarch Kirill, who assumed leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2009, endorsed Putin’s long rule as a miracle of God on February 8, 2012, weeks before the presidential election. He praised Putin for correcting the crooked twist of Russia’s tumultuous democratic transition in the sand derided Putin’s opponents as materialistic and a threat to Russia. 107 Eleven days later, members of the rock group Pussy Riot performed a protest song, Virgin Mary, Redeem Us of Putin in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Ina high-profile and widely criticized prosecution, three Pussy Riot members were later sentenced to two years imprisonment for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.’’ 108 In a December 2012 speech, Putin invoked traditional and spiritual values as the antidote to Russian decline and criticized foreign influences, defining Russia’s democracy as the power of the Russian people with their traditions and absolutely not the realization of standards imposed onus from outside.’’ 109 And in January 2013, Putin signed a law criminalizing insulting religious believers feelings which enabled fines and prison time of up to three years. 110 The Kremlin’s fueling of culture wars has also provided context for the passage of laws criminalizing gay propaganda and decriminalizing first instances of domestic violence. 111 The effects of these laws on the security of LGBT persons and women in Russia is discussed in more detail in Appendix G. CONTROLLING THE PUBLIC NARRATIVE Download 0.63 Mb. 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