He is definitely deeply superstitious. One of our sources, a person who knows Putin well, once described a scene that speaks for itself: While walking through his residence, Putin ran into a black cat sometime early in his rule. In Russia this is considered a bad omen. And what did Putin do? He crossed himself. There’s nothing wrong with that – it’s very human. But it shows a post-Soviet understanding of faith that combines mysticism and superstition.
How does this superstition fit with self-portrayal as a defender of traditional Orthodox values? The Orthodox Church rejects any form of superstition.
Putin has created the myth that he is a conservative leader who defends traditional values. But he never had anything to do with defending traditional values - and still doesn’t to this day. His relationship to family, to religion, to faith: all of this contradicts this picture. Terms like “traditional values,” which he constantly uses, are empty of content. Putin is far from family values, far from faith. Putin’s religiosity is just an act. He is not a conservative, traditional leader in the Western sense.
How then does Putin manage to mask these contradictions?
This is relatively easy to explain within Russia. Putin is a very “popular” person. He meets a deeply rooted social need – because many Russians share his demonstrated views on religion, family and morality. You have to know that Russia experienced extreme upheavals in the 20th century: a deeply religious country became a state that fought religion and blew up churches. Only to then return to being a state that worships the Orthodox Church. These radical changes have destroyed history and values. The average Russian therefore has hardly any solid political values or a clear historical self-image. In this sense, Putin himself is a product of this development.
