Putin’s ‘Temple of War’ was just the beginning. Russia is building churches, mosques, and even underground chapels to convince the nation that the invasion of Ukraine is sacred. — Meduza
meduza.io
”The Temple of War: People and Ideas That Made the Russian Invasion Possible,” by historian Ilia Venyavkin, profiles the figures who helped Vladimir Putin prime Russians for the attack on Ukraine. Venyavkin cites a visit to the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces in Patriot Park as a primary catalyst for the book. The cathedral, as Venyavkin writes in the preface, was built on Putin’s orders but “had been developing in Russian political culture for many years.” The historian draws a parallel to the Russian–Ukrainian war: Putin personally gave the order for the invasion, but the heroes of Moscow’s “Temple of War” — from Army General Sergey Surovikin to RT propagandist Margarita Simonyan — manufactured the public consent that made it possible.

”The Temple of War: People and Ideas That Made the Russian Invasion Possible,” by historian Ilia Venyavkin, profiles the figures who helped Vladimir Putin prime Russians for the attack on Ukraine. Venyavkin cites a visit to the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces in Patriot Park as a primary catalyst for the book. The cathedral, as Venyavkin writes in the preface, was built on Putin’s orders but “had been developing in Russian political culture for many years.” The historian draws a parallel to the Russian–Ukrainian war: Putin personally gave the order for the invasion, but the heroes of Moscow’s “Temple of War” — from Army General Sergey Surovikin to RT propagandist Margarita Simonyan — manufactured the public consent that made it possible.