Skip to main content

Why Putin believes he's fighting a holy war — Part 1

Broadcast 
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
vladimir putin in suit holds candle in front of enormous russian orthodox painting of mary holding divine baby jesus and 4 men
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he's fighting his own holy war to restore the ancient territory of the 'Holy Rus,' with the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as the 'Third Rome.'(Getty/ Sergei Guneyev/ Ria Novosti)

Vladimir Putin is not just involved in a violent land grab. He believes he's fighting his own holy war to restore the ancient territory of the 'Holy Rus,' with the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as the 'Third Rome.'

Professor Jocelyne Cesari of the Harvard Divinity School is the author of the new book We God’s People: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in the World of Nations.

In the first of a two-part series, Professor Cesari discusses what President Putin sees as a divine mission. 

More Information

Presenter: Andrew West

Producer: Hong Jiang

Sound Engineer: Jennifer Parsonage

Subscribe to The Religion and Ethics Report on ABC Radio, iTunes or your favourite podcasting app.

Broadcast 
Christianity, Religion, World Politics, Unrest, Conflict and War
QR code image for downloading the ABC listen app

Discover more podcasts

Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts