How deep do the lies run down the food chain. How many russians going to church services believe that their church is a fake church?
Russia is ruthlessley destroying non orthodox religious activities -
http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2305).
More than 180 cases to punish individuals and communities for violating Russia's "anti-missionary" restrictions are known to have reached court in the year since they came into force on 20 July 2016. Prosecutions under Administrative Code Article 5.26, Parts 3, 4, and 5 have steadily increased throughout this 12 month period. Activities as diverse as holding prayer meetings in private homes, posting worship times on a religious community's website, and giving a lecture on yoga have all been interpreted by police and prosecutors as "missionary activity", due to the broad definition now enshrined in the Religion Law (see a full analysis at F18News 8 August 2017
Average chirstians take the orthodox church very seriously - as in processing over hundreds of miles with crosses to holy sites
https://mospat.ru/en/2017/08/02/news149011/
If the Orthodox Church is a potempkin organization meant to dupe the masses and spread soviet lies and communism - that effort is lost on the average Russian faithful communicant.
It would be along the lines to what goes on in far left “Liberation Theology” churches such as Reverend Wright’s fake church, although apparently more subtle. Its also akin to Americans getting their news and info from the liberal-left dominated news media.
From your first link...
“Activities as diverse as holding prayer meetings in homes, posting worship times on a religious community’s website, and giving a lecture on yoga have all been interpreted by police and prosecutors as “missionary activity”, thanks to the broad definition now enshrined in the Religion Law.
Despite a clear predominance of prosecutions brought against those who see their faith as requiring them to publicly share their beliefs, such as Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses, people from at least 15 different religious traditions have faced charges.”