Religion and State in Russia: Introduction

Planning for this symposium on religious establishment in Russia began in 2021 and rose to a crescendo by the end of that year, only to be disrupted just months later by the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine.The project that had begun with illuminating and insightful meetings with law and religion scholars in Russia and the global Russian diaspora was largely put on hold in February 2022 when the war began, and we continued to check in with our Russian interlocutors, bringing new scholars into the discussion in ensuing months that eventually became years.War, of course, has tremendous and terrible humanitarian effects on populations who are directly affected by the fighting.The context of war is also taxing for the scholars who study it, even remotely, due to its effects in their families, communities, personal lives, and professional networks.A number of our original interlocutors ultimately were unable to contribute to this symposium.We are grateful to them for helping us formulate and shape the topic, and especially grateful to those who were able to contribute their articles here.This symposium on Russia is an outgrowth of two earlier Journal of Law and Religion symposia: one on the legitimate scope of religious establishment, with articles from the United States, Europe, and South America; and the other on the bureaucratization of religion in Southeast Asia, with articles from around that notably religiously diverse region. 1 These previous symposia on religious establishment and bureaucratic management of religion reflect the Journal of Law and Religion's ongoing interest in taking stock of how states are interacting with religion in various parts of the world.In the United States, the concerns to avoid religious establishment and protect religious freedom are reflected in the ongoing project of interpreting and balancing the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the US Constitution.Around the world, states seek to manage the religions in their midst-sometimes to constrain or co-opt authoritarian impulses, sometimes to broker peace amidst religious diversity that risks becoming religious conflict, sometimes to achieve elusive unity and harmony, and for other purposes.In the case of Russia at war with Ukraine, the trend has been toward mutual collaboration-or co-optation-between the Russian Orthodox Church and the