Putin has restored Orthodoxy to much of its former status in Russia after 70 years of state persecution or restriction under the Communists. Orthodoxy holds the Virgin Mary in a very high position as the Mother of God (the Greek term escapes me). Estonia is also very vulnerable to the Russian military, as are their two Baltic neighbors. NATO would be hard pressed to stop a Russian incursion. From a pragmatic standpoint, stories like the desecration of these images in a state-sponsored museum only provide grist for the Russian propaganda mill to prepare for an invasion of Estonia.
>Mother of God (the Greek term escapes me).<
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Theotokos.