The Politicization of Society and the Religious Issues in Modern Russia

The purpose of the article is to trace the connection between the change in the religious policy of the state and the anti-clerical protests of the 2016-2020s. Statements against Church restitution and the construction of churches have caused extensive discussion, which has given rise to a number of contradictory, sometimes mutually exclusive interpretations. According to the author, the reason for these protests was not private reasons, but deeper reasons related to the religious policy of the state. The author pays special attention to changes in religious legislation, which led to increased control over the private life of citizens and infringement of the right to freedom of ideological choice. The article points out that the religious issue has divided Russian society: the ruling class on the one hand, and a significant part of citizens on the other, have become increasingly different in understanding the place and role of religion in the life of the country. According to the author, the protests in Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Moscow were special cases of numerous manifestations of politicization of society and growing dissatisfaction with the state of state-confessional relations in modern Russia. The author concludes that the degree of conflict, the high level of solidarity actions, a diverse and resonant series of events, as well as the level of ideological discussion allow us to classify these events as political and plebiscite.