In this provocative new book Lucy Ash reveals how under Putin religion is being stripped of
its spiritual content and used as a weapon to control the population in a way never seen
before. Orthodox clerics and their acolytes are trying to drag Russia backwards into a new
Middle Ages. Combining historical research with vivid present-day reportage The Baton and the
Cross explores the impact the Church is having on millions of Russians' lives - from the tower
blocks of Moscow and the big cities to far-flung villages in Siberia. Delving into the
underbelly of politics state security and big money Ash shows how these forces have formed an
unholy alliance with Orthodoxy.
