Lucy Ash: Russia’s Church from Pagans to Putin

Moving away from the atheism of the 20th century’s Soviet Union, Putin’s Russia has granted the ancient Russian Orthodox Church great power.

BBC reporter and Russia expert Lucy Ash joins us to discuss her provocative new book, The Baton and the Cross, a finalist for both the Orwell and British Academy Book Prizes.

Hear her unpack Russian Orthodoxy’s history and how, under Putin, religion is being stripped of its spirituality, used instead as a weapon of control.

Chaired by Misha Glenny.