Vladimir Putin compared himself to Jesus while reading from the Bible during a celebration of the opening of children’s centres near Moscow.
In a video call addressing children to mark the opening, he was heard speaking in overtly religious terms about the need to shape the worldview of young Russians as he explained his mission to uphold “traditional” values.
The Russian president has on numerous occasions presented himself as a staunch defender of the Christian faith from the “Satanic” West.
Putin compared his mission of protecting the Russian youth from the creeping influence of the West by referencing Peter and Andrew, two fishermen, who spread the word of God under Jesus.
In a meeting of Russian officials, Putin asked: “Do you remember how Jesus came to Galilee and saw the fishermen beside the Sea of Galilee?”
“One was catching fish, another was fixing his net. And He said to them: ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, fishers of human souls.’ They became his evangelists, his students.
“This was very important at a time when world religions were developing … but it is no less current now, when we must defend our traditional values, our culture, our traditions and our history. This is very important for the future of the country.”
Putin claimed he did not want to spread a purely Christian message and went on to reference three of the country’s other “traditional religions” including Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Some 70 per cent of Russians identify as Christian.
Mention of the Christian faith has been used by Russian individuals to defend the country’s position in its war with Ukraine.
The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church previously proclaimed that Russian soldiers who die in the line of duty in Ukraine have all of their sins forgiven, comparing their sacrificial death to that of Jesus.
