In certain ways, though, official religious life in today's Russia is not really all that different from Soviet times, apart from being vastly more prominent. Established religious leaders are still expected to put their prestige at the service of the state, and to get along with one another in ways that preserve social peace and burnish the country's image abroad. While repressing certain forms of Islam, as well as Western-connected religious minorities such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, the state encourages set-piece religious diplomacy involving officially favoured leaders.
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