In Russia, freedom of religion is provided for in Chapter 1, Article 14,English translation: "1. The Russian Federation is a secular state. No religion may be established in the capacity of a state or mandatory [religion]. 2. Religious associations are separated from the state and equal before the law"
Russian: "1. Российская Федерация - светское государство. Никакая религия не может устанавливаться в качестве государственной или обязательной. 2. Религиозные объединения отделены от государства и равны перед законом." Chapter 2, Articles 28English: "To each is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of profession of faith, including the right to profess [or “confess”] individually or in conjunction with others any religion or to profess none, to freely choose, have and spread religious and other beliefs [or convictions] and to act in concert with them."
Russian: "Каждому гарантируется свобода совести, свобода вероисповедания, включая право исповедовать индивидуально или совместно с другими любую религию или не исповедовать никакой, свободно выбирать, иметь и распространять религиозные и иные убеждения и действовать в соответствии с ними." and 29English: "2. The propaganda or agitation instigating social, racial, national or religious hatred and strife shall not be allowed. The propaganda of social, racial, national, religious or linguistic supremacy shall be banned."
Russian: "2. Не допускаются пропаганда или агитация, возбуждающие социальную, расовую, национальную или религиозную ненависть и вражду. Запрещается пропаганда социального, расового, национального, религиозного или языкового превосходства." of the 1993 constitution, which forbid the federal government from declaring a state or mandatory religion, permit the freedoms of conscience and profession of faith, and forbids state advocacy purporting superiority of any group over another on religious grounds. However, each of these provisions have been contrasted against a clause in Chapter 2, Article 55English: "3. The rights and freedoms of man and citizen may be limited by the federal law only to such an extent to which it is necessary for the protection of the fundamental principles of the constitutional system, morality, health, the rights and lawful interests of other people, for ensuring defence of the country and security of the State."
Russian: "3. Права и свободы человека и гражданина могут быть ограничены федеральным законом только в той мере, в какой это необходимо в целях защиты основ конституционного строя, нравственности, здоровья, прав и законных интересов других лиц, обеспечения обороны страны и безопасности государства." that permits the federal government to restrict human rights where it is deemed necessary and under specific conditions. With these articles taken collectively, and as there is no explicit provision allowing for the automatic right of religious groups to exist as establishments, proselytize, or provide guidance, "religious freedom" as would be defined in other nations is not guaranteed.
In practice, as of 2021, allegations of religious persecution, unequal treatment of religious groups, and calls for the respect of free religion have been made against the Russian government.
Overview The Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations (also known as the 1997 Law) declared that all religions are equal before the law, prohibited government interference in religion, and established simple registration procedures for religious groups. The country, by law, would be a secular state without a state religion. The preamble to the 1997 Law acknowledged Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions as an inseparable part of the country's historical heritage, and also recognized "the special role of Orthodoxy in the history of Russia and in the establishment and development of its spirituality and culture".
The U.S. Department of State reported in its 2007 International Religious Freedom Report, "Following the 1997 Law's registration deadline of December 31, 2001, the Ministry of Justice began to legally dissolve approximately 2,000 organizations that had not reregistered, sometimes over the complaints of groups who claimed that they were still active."
In 2020, the USCIRF noted that the US State Department recommends that Russia be seen as a Country of Particular Concern. The International Religious Freedom Act sees CPC countries as "engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom".
In 2022, Freedom House saw Russia as scoring 20 out of 100 in political and civil liberties.Freedom world Freedom House website, Retrieved 15 April 2023 This has spilled over into religious freedom, and in 2023, the country was scored 1 out of 4. In particular, they highlighted 2017's Supreme Court decision to support the countries definition of Jehovah’s Witnesses as extremists.
According to data from the V-Dem Institute, the state of freedom of religion in Russia has steadily deteriorated since 1991.
The invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 also highlighted international concerns.Implications of Russian invasion of Ukraine USCRIF website, Retrieved 15 April 2023Central Asia. Russia HRW website, Retrieved 15 April 2023
History See also History of the Jews in Russia, Religion in Russia, and Religion in the Soviet Union
10th to 20th Centuries
In the 10th century, Prince Vladimir I was converted to Christianity by missionaries from Byzantium. He embraced Christianity and made it an official religion in Russia. For approximately 1,000 years thereafter, Russian Orthodoxy became the country's primary denomination.
In the early days of the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks mobilized Jewish support for their movement when Lenin proclaimed that the antisemitic pogroms of old were a trapping of Tsarism and had no place in a workers' movement. Despite the official attempts to court Russian Jews, antisemitism and anti-Jewish violence was continually perpetrated by the Red Guard throughout the country during the difficult transition out of the World War I.
By 1922, the Russian Empire collapsed and the Soviet Union was officially established. Despite the Soviet Constitution guaranteeing religious freedom, religious activities in the Soviet Union were greatly constrained, and a doctrine of state atheism was established and introduced. Memberships to religious organizations were considered incompatible with memberships in the Communist Party (ruling political party of the Soviet Union). Temporarily, the open expression of Christian beliefs was permitted during World War II as the government sought the support of Christians in the fight against Fascism. However, the restrictions were re-imposed once the war ended, and intolerance towards religion in general continued.
In the 1980s, under the reformist administration of Mikhail Gorbachev, the policy of glasnost () was established, allowing for greater tolerance for the practice of religion. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, religious freedom became a guaranteed right under the new Russian Constitution, and large segments of the population began practising a variety of faiths. Russian nationalists who emerged in the 1990s identified the Russian Orthodox Church as a major element of Russian culture.
The 1990 Soviet Law and Religious Freedom introduced a legal guarantee of "full equality of all religious groups", acting in compliance with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. – Paperity.org
After the 1997 Law's December 31, 2001 registration deadline, Russia's Ministry of Justice began to dissolve around 2,000 organizations that had not re-registered, at times over the complaints of organizations who claimed that they were still active.
Early 21st Century The 2016 Yarovaya Law, named after politician Irina Yarovaya, extends the legal restrictions against extremism to include evangelism by minority faiths.
The Russian government has a number of laws against religious extremism and foreign funding of non-government organizations including the Yarovaya Law, that can be used to restrict the practices of religious minorities, such as evangelism or the importation of foreign religious literature.Family Research Council Russia's Quiet Persecution of Religion May 24, 2021 Critics of these laws argue that the Russian government gives priority to the Russian Orthodox Church, making it an unofficial state church.President Putin and the patriarchs. by Michael Bourdeaux, The Times, January 11, 2008.Clifford J. Levy. At Expense of All Others, Putin Picks a Church. New York Times April 24, 2008Andrew Higgins, "In Expanding Russian Influence, Faith Combines With Firepower", New York Times Sept 13, 2016 According to experts, the law is likely to be interpreted in a way to block churches other than the Russian Orthodox Church from evangelizing ethnic Russians.
According to International Christian Concern, in 2021 the "crackdowns on religious freedom have intensified in Russia." In June 2021, Forum 18 highlighted that “twice as many prisoners of conscience are serving sentences or are in detention awaiting appeals for exercising freedom of religion or belief as in November 2020.”
Religious demography
The country has an area of and a population of 146 million. There is no single set of reliable statistics that breaks down the population by denomination or active participation, and the statistics below are compiled from government, polling, and religious group sources.
The 2017 Survey Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe made by the Pew Research Center showed that, 73% of Russians declared themselves Christians, including 71% Orthodox, 1% Catholic, 2% Other Christians 15% were unaffiliated 10% were Muslims 1% were from other religions
Approximately 100 million citizens consider themselves Russian Orthodox Christians, although the vast majority are not regular churchgoers.
The largest religious minority is formed by 14 to 23 million Muslims, most of whom live in the Volga-Urals region and the North Caucasus, although Moscow, St. Petersburg, and parts of Siberia and Yakutia have sizeable Muslim populations.
The Buddhist Association of Russia estimated that there were between 1.5 and 2 million Buddhists, who live in the traditionally Buddhist regions of Buryatiya, Tuva, and Kalmykia.
According to the Slavic Centre for Law and Justice, Protestants make up the second-largest group of Christian believers, with 3,500 registered organizations and more than 2 million followers.
There are an estimated 600,000 Jews (0.4% of the population), the vast majority of whom live in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Catholic Church estimated that there are 600,000 Catholics, most of whom are not ethnic Russians.
In Mari El, Yakutiya and Chukotka, pantheistic and nature-based religions are practiced independently or alongside other religions.
According to Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin's annual report, the Ministry of Justice had registered 22,956 religious organizations as of January 1, 2007. This was 443 more than in January 2006. Among the registered religious groups are Russian Orthodox, Orthodox Old Believers, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Evangelical Christians, Catholic, and other denominations.
In 2022, there were 67,720,000 Christians, with 58,750,000 of them belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church.
The following details are informed by the 2020 International Religious Freedom Report.
Status of religious freedom