Sunday, May 25, 2025
Kremlin Returns Crosses to Its Emblem, Opening the Way for Crosses to Appear on State Symbols More Generally
Paul Goble
Staunton, May 23 – On May 21, the Kremlin inserted Orthodox crosses in place of diamonds on its coat of arms, a change the Russian Orthodox Church had long sought and that likely opens the way for a wholesale return of such crosses to Russian symbols across the entire country.
The change (rbc.ru/society/22/05/2025/682e1fbc9a7947821a8182d3) came after Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov said those who had used diamonds instead of the crosses had been mistaken because that change was no minor matter and the crosses symbolized the sacred nature of state power (idelreal.org/a/v-emblemu-kremlya-vernuli-pravoslavnye-kresty/33421088.html).
But it had long been sought by the Russian Orthodox Church and its activists. Now that the Kremlin has taken that step, it appears likely that a law requiring the display of crosses on any church displayed on a coat of arms or other state symbol will pass and that crosses will be displayed on them across the country.
That will create problems because many Russians aren’t actively religious, while many members of other nationalities which are traditionally Muslim or Buddhist will not welcome this new symbolism. What remains to be seen is how far the Kremlin is prepared to go in making this shift.
In tsarist times, the authorities were careful most of the time not to insist that Orthodox Christian symbolism appear on medals given to Muslim or Buddhist soldiers lest their presence inflame national passions. But it seems that today, the Putin regime may be ready to dispense with that approach.
The consequence, however, is likely to be an exacerbation of ethnic tensions, a high price to pay for this latest concession to the ROC MP.
Posted by paul goble at 4:54 AM
https://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/05/kremlin-returns-crosses-to-its-emblem.html
