Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy

Religion, Politics, and Strategy

By: Dmitry Adamsky

Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine

A nuclear priesthood has arisen in Russia. From portable churches to the consecration of weapons systems, the Russian Orthodox Church has been integrated into every facet of the armed forces to become a vital part of Russian national security, politics, and identity. This extraordinary intertwining of church and military is nowhere more visible than in the nuclear weapons community, where the priesthood has penetrated all levels of command and the Church has positioned itself as a guardian of the state's nuclear potential. Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy considers how, since the Soviet collapse in 1991, the Church has worked its way into the nuclear forces, the most significant wing of one of the world's most powerful military organizations.

Dmitry Adamsky describes how the Orthodox faith has merged with Russian national identity as the Church continues to expand its influence on foreign and domestic politics. The Church both legitimizes and influences Moscow's assertive national security strategy in the twenty-first century. This book sheds light on the role of faith in modern militaries and highlights the implications of this phenomenon for international security. Ultimately, Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy interrogates the implications of the confluence of religion and security for other members of the nuclear club, beyond Russia.

©2019 The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (P)2022 Tantor

Academic, but everything I wanted

From Soviet cosmonauts to Putin’s visit to Mt. Athos; stories of Stalin talking with a saint and the holy Saint Seraphim buried at Azarmas-16 (Sarov) It has everything you would want from the title. Only complaint is that it repeats information in several somewhat lengthy sections and to a needless degree, but that’s more an issue with academic nonfiction than with the book itself

Disappointing

Too many details too little analysis, weird structure, unnecessary and repetitive use of abbreviations, abysmal pronunciation of Russian terms. I continue to be very interested in the topic of how the Russian Orthodox Church adopted the Gospel of Nuclear Annihilation and as a person of East Orthodox Christian background feel immense repulsion towards this perverse misinterpretation of Christianity. This book did not help me understand.