The Share Of Russians Who Do Not Attend Church Has Exceeded 50% For The First Time During Putin's Rule

• 24.03.2026, 20:31

The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly made statements in support of the war in Ukraine in recent years.

The share of Russians who do not attend church services has exceeded half for the first time since 1998, amounting to 55%. This is evidenced by the data of the Levada-Center poll conducted on February 18-25. Compared to June 2025, this figure increased by 11 percentage points. Only 16% of respondents, according to the survey, go to temples at least once a month, another 16% - several times a year, and 7% - about once a year or less, reports The Moscow Times.

Men (60%), young people under 25 (68%), respondents with secondary education and below (59%), residents of cities with a population of 100,000-500,000 (60%), workers (62%) and students (71%) do not go to church most often. In contrast, women (51%), people over 55 (51%), Moscow residents (61%), as well as the more affluent and those with higher education attend religious services noticeably more often.

At the same time, the majority of Russians (73%) identify themselves as Orthodox Christians, according to a September 2025 Levada Center poll. Another 6% described themselves as Muslims, 1% as Buddhists, 5% as atheists, and 13% do not identify themselves with any religion.

The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly made statements in support of the war in Ukraine in recent years. In March 2024, the World Russian People's Council, chaired by Patriarch Kirill, called the war "sacred." The patriarch also called for prayers for Vladimir Putin, the government and the Russian army, and in January 2026 said that those who disagree with the Kremlin's proposed decisions should be considered "traitors to the motherland."