The concept of “Holy Russia,” as noted, is still alive, though it is often conflated with Rússkiy mir (“Russian World”), a pernicious political doctrine that promotes Russia’s influence and control over all peoples and lands it believes—rightly or wrongly—belong to Russia’s historic patrimony.
The Myth of Holy Russia
Some Sobering Numbers
Before delving into the larger cultural questions surrounding the Russian Orthodox Church, it is helpful to take a brief look at some numbers. Though precise numbers are difficult to come by, the Russian Orthodox Church boasts of having 110 million members worldwide, with 95 million located within Russia. These numbers include various autonomous and self-governing local churches in Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, China, and Japan. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), which is headquartered in New York, is also counted in these numbers, though it remains administratively distinct from the Russian Orthodox Church proper. All of these bodies are, to greater or less extent, under the omophorion (authority) of the Patriarch of Moscow, currently held by Kirill (Gundyayev).
Depending on which sources are believed, the “95 million” number may be more imaginative than real. According to the Russian-based Public Opinion Foundation, in 2024, 62% of Russian …