Read "The Sword and the Shield" based on the KGB archives. There were true believers who refused to assist the KGB. All the Russian priests in any position of authority, however, were the exact opposite.
You need to think of Russia as a Christian Empire
You need Christians to have a Christian empire. All polls for the last decade up to recent years all show the same thing: only about 7%, sometimes going even lower than that, bother to attend once a month. Vast majority of Russians have no religious life whatsoever. Maybe we have a similar problem, though not anywhere close to the same scale.
“You need Christians to have a Christian empire.”
And a leader who doesn’t provide military support to nations who persecute Christians.