▁of ▁God ." ▁Steven ▁My ers ▁reports , ▁" The ▁church , ▁once ▁heavily ▁repr essed , ▁had ▁emer ged ▁from ▁the ▁Soviet ▁collapse ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁respect ed ▁institutions ... ▁Now ▁Kir il ▁led ▁the ▁faithful ▁directly ▁into ▁an ▁al liance ▁with ▁the ▁state ." ▁ ▁Mark ▁Wood s , ▁a ▁Bapt ist ▁minister ▁and ▁contrib uting ▁editor ▁to ▁Christian ▁Today , ▁provides ▁specific ▁examples ▁of ▁how ▁the ▁Church ▁has ▁back ed ▁the ▁expansion ▁of ▁Russian ▁power ▁into ▁Crime a ▁and ▁eastern ▁Ukraine . ▁More ▁broad ly , ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁reports ▁in ▁September ▁ 2 0 1 6 ▁how ▁the ▁Church ' s ▁policy ▁pres cri ptions ▁support ▁the ▁Kre ml in ' s ▁appeal ▁to ▁social ▁conserv atives : ▁ ▁" A ▁fer vent ▁fo e ▁of ▁hom osex ual ity ▁and ▁any ▁attempt ▁to ▁put ▁individual ▁rights ▁above ▁those ▁of ▁family , ▁community ▁or ▁nation , ▁the ▁Russian ▁Orth odox ▁Church ▁helps ▁project ▁Russia ▁as ▁the ▁natural ▁al ly ▁of ▁all ▁those ▁who ▁p ine ▁for ▁a ▁more ▁secure , ▁ill iber al ▁world ▁free ▁from ▁the ▁tradition - cr ushing ▁r ush ▁of ▁global ization , ▁mult icult ural ism ▁and ▁women ' s ▁and ▁gay ▁rights . ▁" ▁ ▁International ▁sport ing ▁events ▁▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁Put in ▁led ▁a ▁successful ▁effort ▁on ▁beh alf ▁of ▁So chi ▁( located ▁along ▁the ▁Black ▁Sea ▁near ▁the ▁border ▁between ▁Georgia ▁and ▁Russia ) ▁for ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 4