Orthodoxy in Central Asia and Azerbaijan in the conditions of post-Soviet society as the “soft power” of Russian culture

The arrival of the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of Central Asia and Azerbaijan was not accidental. It waslargely explained by Russia’sforeign policy interests. The Church followed the state. However, its interests and position in the newly annexed territories reflected not only the interests of the empire, but also its own experience and goals, determined by the values of the evangelical preaching. The gentle preaching of Orthodoxy among the peoples of Asia and the Caspian region was explained by many reasons: lessons learned from the difficult experience of Christianization of the Russian Volga-Ural region, the enthusiasm of the clergy inspired by the successes of the 19th century mission, and the fact that the Christian mission in these regions was closely intertwined with the planting of Russian culture. The last circumstance played a decisive role. Thanks to this, Orthodox preaching began to be closely associated with the “Russian faith” and steadily identified with European culture. As a result, under the conditions of the collapse of the USSR, Russian Orthodoxy was able to transform into the “soft power” of the Russian presence in the noted regions.