Russia's Holy War

The West as "infidels", Ukrainians as "heretics"

Many in the West struggle to grasp how Russia - once a key force in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany - now exhibits behaviors strikingly similar to the ideology it helped defeat. Even more perplexing to Western observers is Russia’s use of World War II’s legacy as a tool of militaristic pride. In the West, May 8th is marked as a solemn celebration of peace. In Russia, however, May 9th is triumphantly declared “Victory Day,” a highly choreographed show of strength and militarism.

This disconnect arises because Europeans (still) insist on viewing Russians solely from their own perspective and based on their own self-perception. For the West, World War II and everything associated with it – all the tensions, the whole confrontation between competing worldviews – was an integral part of its civilizational lifecycle. It was a natural, in a sense, internal family matter for the West. This applies also to the memory of WWII, and the lessons drawn from it.

For Russians, however, that war carries a different meaning entirely. It is remembered not just as a struggle against Nazi Germany, but as a war, a Holy Crusade, against the West itself. This is because Russians are civilizational outsiders, who seethe with hatred against the West and view it as their primary nemesis. Within their mindset and self-perception, the distinctions between Nazi Germany and Anglo-Saxons - with whom Russians became allies circumstantially - are therefore blurred.

That’s why, even as they celebrate their victory over Nazi Germany, Russians often denounce the “evil” Anglo-Saxons in the same breath. Their hatred isn’t reserved for one historical enemy; rather it’s indiscriminately directed at the entire Western world. This is also the root of Russia’s hostility toward NATO today. In Russian propaganda, NATO is routinely equated with Nazism - not because the two share any actual ideology, but because both serve as convenient symbols of the West, which Russia despises with near-religious fervor.

This is why Russians lump together wildly different Western ideas - Nazism, liberalism, feminism, LGBT rights - into a single, undifferentiated category of Western “corruption”. To Western minds, these are distinct and often contradictory worldviews, each tied to specific historical moments in the natural lifecycle of European Civilization. But for Russians, as civilizational outsiders, such nuance is irrelevant. For them, these are all symptoms of the same disease: the West itself.

A common mistake among Western right-wingers is to interpret Russian criticism of liberalism, feminism or LGBT rights as a shared affinity for traditional European values. This is however a dangerous illusion. Russians aren’t defending European tradition, nor do they have any empathy for Europe. Rather, they are attacking anything and everything that comes from the West. Their contempt for liberalism is not rooted in moral concern over decadence, but in sheer civilizational hatred of the West. They hate these modern phenomena, not because of empathy with traditional Europe, but precisely because these phenomena are Western.

If Europe were more traditional, religious, and family-oriented, Russians would still sneer at it - just as they do at Eastern European nations like Ukraine, Poland, or the Baltic states. These countries remain largely conservative, but that doesn’t shield them from Russian scorn. Instead of accusing them of liberal decadence, Russia brands them as nationalists, fascists or Nazis. The label doesn’t matter. What matters is that they’re part of the West.

This pattern is nothing new. During the Soviet era, the civilizational confrontation was framed as communism versus capitalism. However, for Russians, that dichotomy was not really about between two different economic models. Claiming that would be superficial and misses the whole point. The nature of the discourse and the whole confrontation ran much deeper. For Russians, “capitalist” was a loaded word, a euphemism representing Westerners themselves and the whole Western Civilization. By counterposing "communism" against "capitalism", they were, at a deeper level, counterposing Russia against the West. Today, Russians use new labels to insult the West. Instead of decrying “capitalists”, they now decry “globalists”, “gays”, “decadents”. But the core message remains the same.

For a Western observer all of this, including Russia’s current trajectory, might seem contradictory, but for keen experts on Russia, like yours faithfully, all of this makes perfect sense. The bottom-line is that Russians are not European, and regard Europe as their nemesis. It is the object of their deepest loathing. Russians doesn’t loathe Western “decadence” out of concern for the West’s moral state - they loathe it precisely because it is Western. If the West were more traditional, Russians would despise its traditionalism. The rhetoric changes over time, due to different circumstances, but the target of Russia’s loathing remains fixed.

Since the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia has cast off its artificial European mask and launched a relentless crusade against the West. It took on different forms in different periods, but the substance always remained the same: be it the war against Nazism, capitalism, liberalism, LGBT, feminism or trans rights - for Russians they all belong to a single category of Western-originated ills. Putin's Russia is simply the continuation, and in a way the consummation, of this whole century-long process.

This is the perspective within which the Russian cult of “victory” should be understood. For Russians, WWII, which they call the “Great Patriotic War”, is in essence a religious war – part of the Crusade against the hated West that they have been waging for more than a century already. It is therefore not surprising that it had acquired mythical quasi-religious characteristics in Putin’s Russia with unique rituals that reflect the specific Russian psyche (e.g., Immortal Regiment) and symbolic staged performances like the one that represents the storming of the Reichstag. This also explains the veneration of Stalin within Russian society, which is especially increasing at an enormous speed in Putin’s Russia. For Russians, Stalin is not simply a political leader, but rather a mythical figure - a personification of the Russian soul who fought brutally and relentlessly against the hated West.

All of this also ties with the role of religion in Russia. Western and Eastern Christians alike are often startled by the open militarism of the Russian Orthodox Church, which not only endorses the war but also goes so far as to bless soldiers and consecrate nuclear weapons. For many in Europe, such an attitude seems to contradict the spirit of Christianity itself – a faith widely associated with peace, humility, and compassion. But this reaction stems from a misunderstanding: it assumes that Christianity has always been a fixed doctrine, rather than what it truly is – a cultural vessel, shaped and reshaped by the societies it enters.

When viewed from a historical, cyclical perspective, the current trajectory of Russian Orthodoxy becomes less baffling and in fact makes perfect sense. Christianity has never been the force that shapes the soul of a people. It has always been shaped by it. Wherever it spread, it adapted to the prevailing innate character traits and psychological structure of the population. It has always submitted to the prevailing Zeitgeist of that realm.

Consider the Christianization of early medieval Europe. At the time, the Germanic peoples were fierce, honor-driven, and steeped in warrior culture. Had missionaries presented them with a meek, crucified savior, the faith would never have taken root. Instead, Christ was reimagined as a noble warrior. His suffering became an act of heroism, his resurrection a triumph of will and power. Christianity, which was the product of the dying Greco-Roman world and the perfect representation of its decadence and lost vigor, had to undergo a profound transformation to become palatable to the Germanic spirit. In essence, it became Germanized through and through.

The same principle applies to the schism between Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy - the Great Schism of 1054. Since the Germanic world and the Byzantine world differed substantially in their innate proclivities and sensibilities, it was only a matter of time that Christianity eventually split to Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Historians often point to theological disputes or liturgical differences as the cause of the split, but these are only symptoms, not causes. The true divide ran much deeper. The Germanic West and the Byzantine East were animated by different instincts, different psychological proclivities. Christianity split because it could not remain the same thing in two fundamentally different civilizational contexts.

Russia currently finds itself at a historical stage equivalent to the Early Middle Ages in Germanic Europe. And hence it is only logical that Russians interpret Christianity differently. Orthodox Christianity is being subordinated to and molded in the image of the innate character traits and sensibilities of Russians. Just like in the Germanic Europe of the Early Middle Ages Christianity was thoroughly Germanized and made to exist congruently with the innate character traits and sensibilities of the Germanic people of the time, among other things serving as the justification for Crusades, now in Russia, Orthodox Christianity is in the process of "Russification". It is being brought in line with innate character traits and sensibilities of the Russian people. It is therefore quite likely that this evolution of Russian Christianity will eventually trigger a schism within the broader Eastern Orthodox Christianity, comparable in its historical significance and intensity only to the Great Schism of 1054. The world will witness the emergence of a distinct “Russian Christianity” infused with the worldview and rituals that are congruent with the Russian psyche.

At this point, one might object: how can there be talk of a religious or quasi-religious fervor in Russia when church attendance is dismal and most Russians live secular lives? Superficially, this seems like a valid critique. But it rests on a narrow, more precisely, Abrahamic understanding of what religion is.

In this view, religion is defined by formal doctrine, a canon of beliefs, and a set of rituals practiced faithfully by devout adherents. Yet this definition is too rigid. Religion, in its deeper civilizational function, is not primarily about doctrine - it is about identity. It is a collective worldview, a metaphysical orientation, a sense of who we are and who we are not. In many societies, including Russia, what we call “religion” in the doctrinal sense is simply the outer shell - a vessel - through which a much more visceral group identity expresses itself. Oftentimes an official Abrahamic religion is simply subordinated to that visceral world-feeling of a group and is molded by it.

This easily explains the seeming paradox. Russians are in fact very religious, just not in the way Westerners expect. The animating force behind Russian society is not Orthodox Christianity per se, but the mythic idea of the “Russian World” (Russkiy Mir). This idea, rooted in a deep civilizational self-image, is what defines the Russian sense of purpose, belonging, and enmity. Orthodox Christianity merely serves as an auxiliary.

This isn’t unique to Russia. Consider the Islamic jihadists of the 2010s. When ISIS surged across the Middle East, Western analysts rushed to argue that the group did not represent “true Islam”. Many recruits from Europe, after all, were buying books such as Islam for Dummies before flying off to Syria and Iraq. Their behavior - drug use, casual violence, total ignorance of Islamic theology - seemed to contradict the very idea of religious devotion.

But this line of reasoning missed the point entirely. For these individuals, Islam was not about mastering Islamic theology and jurisprudence or strictly following the prescribed rituals. For them it had a more visceral meaning; it represented their identity. It defined their self-perception, offered meaning, direction, and - most importantly - a stance against the much-hated West. The rituals and official theology are always secondary. The identity is primary.

The same was true of the Crusaders during the Early Middle Ages. Few of them had deep theological knowledge. Many lived lives that would scandalize any devout Christian. Yet that didn’t stop them from embarking on holy wars across continents, killing both Muslims and Eastern Christians alike. Their “faith” was not about Christian doctrine - it was a civilizational impulse cloaked in religion. It was a war of identity.

Russia today functions in the same way. The doctrine of the Orthodox Church is irrelevant to most Russians. What matters is that the Church, like everything else in Russian public life, is being reshaped to reflect and reinforce the civilizational myth of the Russian World. This myth defines who Russians believe they are - and who they believe their enemies are.

And this myth is religious in every meaningful sense. It sacralizes history. It sanctifies violence. It casts the West as a satanic and corrupting force. It turns political leaders into holy warriors and military invasions into sacred missions. Fervent celebration of the “Victory Day” with its own rituals, priestly blessings of soldiers, tanks and missiles, the veneration of Stalin - they all make sense within this framework.

So yes, Russians are religious. Not in the way Westerners today understand religion, but in the only way that truly matters. The Russian World is their faith. It defines their cosmos. And it defines the enemy.

And precisely within this framework one should understand Russia’s current war against Ukraine. It is not a coincidence and certainly not a contradiction, as many in the West assume, that Russians equate their invasion of Ukraine to their war against Nazi Germany. From their vantage point this makes perfect sense. Just like WWII, for Russians, their invasion of Ukraine is a Holy War against the West. This is evident in the proclamations of Russian official figures and Orthodox priests, who refer to this war as “holy” and habitually call to raze Kyiv to the ground. For Russians this war is not about territories, resources or geopolitics. For them the war against Ukraine is a religious war; it is a war against heretics. Russians view Ukrainians as heretics for having abandoned the "Russian World".

War against heretics is the most brutal, the most unforgiving of all wars. When you designate someone as a heretic, then there is no place for mercy. This is why, and this cannot be emphasized enough, Russians will not, and cannot in principle, agree to any settlement in Ukraine. When you designate a group as heretics, you don't leave any room for settlement - you don't leave any room for peaceful coexistence. The heretics must be either physically eliminated or forcefully converted.

For Russians, unique Ukrainian identity is heretical. Russians therefore will not rest until they eradicate Ukrainians, and root out Ukrainian identity. Not until they physically eliminate all Ukrainians or convert them to Russians - i.e., make them belong to the “Russian World”. This is the basic logic of the war against heretics. You don't tolerate the existence of those whom you view as heretics, even if they don't threaten you and live far away.

Many in the West – even those firmly on Ukraine’s side – still fail to grasp the deeper reasons driving Russian aggression. They continue to believe, wrongly, that Russia’s actions are grounded in negotiable interests. That, if the right concessions were offered – Ukraine’s neutrality, territorial compromises etc. – peace might be possible. But that logic does not apply when the war is not about interests, but identity. For Russia, Ukraine is not a neighbor to be bargained with. It is a heresy to be extinguished.

The very idea of Ukraine – a nation with its own identity, language, and will – is, to Russians, an affront. A defection. A betrayal of the “Russian World”. And in a war against heretics, compromise is impossible. Heretics are not tolerated. They are either converted or destroyed. This is why any vision of peace that involves Ukraine continuing to exist as a distinct nation – even a weakened one – is, from the Russian point of view, inherently unacceptable. The war, in their eyes, cannot end until Ukrainian identity itself is annihilated.

But Ukraine is only the frontline. The ultimate target is the West. And this is not about geopolitics in the narrow sense. It is about the Russian crusade. Even if Russia never fires a missile into Berlin or Paris, it will remain a civilizational enemy of Europe and will continue to wage its crusade by other means – by poisoning, destabilizing and unraveling Western society from within. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union didn’t always fight with tanks. It fought with manipulation, with subversion, with propaganda. It funded radicals and infiltrated Western institutions. Today’s Russia is simply picking up where the USSR left off – because Russia’s holy war, in truth, never ended.

As long as Russia exists in its current form, it will continue this crusade. It will go on exporting confusion, chaos, and corrosion into the West – not out of strategic necessity, but out of visceral compulsion. Russia does not seek parity with the West. It seeks the West’s destruction.

This is why half-measures and cautious containment will not suffice. The only durable path to peace is to confront Russia at its core. Just as Russia wages holy war against the West – a war grounded in identity, myth, and metaphysical hatred – so too must the West recognize the nature of the fight it is in. This is not merely a conflict over borders or influence. It is a clash of worlds.

And the logic of such a war is ruthless: you defeat a crusade not with diplomacy, but with a counter-crusade. You don't bargain with those who deny your right to exist. You don't appease a force that thrives on your destruction. You fight it – not out of spite, but out of necessity.

Thus, here is the uncomfortable truth that the West must accept and act upon: peace in Europe will only be possible when Russia is dismantled. The West must finally abandon the illusion that it can coexist with an entity – and a worldview – that sees its very existence as blasphemy. To stop Russia, it must therefore be crushingly defeated and its very identity eradicated. Russia must be demilitarized, denuclearized and desintegrated into 40+ states with their unique regional/national identities. There is no other path to lasting peace.