Mick Hartley

We thought we'd waved goodbye to all the horrors of the early/mid 20th century, but here we go again. Virulent antisemitism's on the rise, and in Russia under Putin they seem to be arriving at some kind of ultra-nationalist clerical fascism, with perhaps the nearest historical equivalent being Romania's Iron Guard of the Thirties. Unfortunately, unlike Romania, Russia has nuclear weapons and is waging a war of extermination against Ukraine.

From the Times:

The Russian soldier had the pro-war Z symbol on his uniform and a halo around his head. Behind him angels soared through the heavens. Nearby, another soldier cradled an automatic weapon in front of an image of Jesus. A caption read: “Christ defeated hell and so will Russia.”

The images, startling even for wartime, are among propaganda posters put on display in central Moscow to bolster religious support for the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Another poster reads: “If God is for us, who is against us?”

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church, has described the war as a sacred battle against “forces of evil” that are trying to destroy Russia. He has also said that only Moscow can prevent the rise of the “antichrist” and that Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine will have all their sins forgiven.

Last year, state media reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared at a hospital in Moscow where Kirill visited injured troops.

Kirill, 77, who has called President Putin’s long rule a “miracle of God”, has sought to clamp down on church dissent over the invasion.

Alexey Uminsky, a prominent liberal priest, refused to read a pro-war prayer and has been banned from serving in a church in Moscow where he had preached for 30 years. A church court also recommended his expulsion from the priesthood.

At least there's some clerical opposition, but it's clearly powerless.

Dozens of other priests who have prayed for peace instead of victory have been punished. The concept of peace is increasingly alien for the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose court ruled last year that pacifism was heresy.

The whole country is rotting, from the head down.