Few scholars have discussed the use of religion as a Russian political tool in Serbia. Therefore, I decided to explore how Russia is wielding Orthodox Christianity to exert its influence, and thus hypothesize that religion, as a political tool, will similarly be employed in other Orthodox states in the region. Because Serbs see religious identity and nationality intertwined, there is a kinship between Putin and Orthodox Serbs, and thus I examined how Russia has capitalized on this relationship and caused a political indebtedness to Russia, illustrating an act of Russian political exertion over the state. In analyzing the Serbia-Russia relationship from a religious, political, and social perspective I found that Russia has successfully used the church to increase Putin’s favorability in Serbia and thus widen the division between Serbia and the West—a tactic that could very well be employed within other Orthodox states.
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