There are no atheists in trenches under fire: orthodox Christianity in russian punk

In the west relations between punk and religion have been rather straightforward. Punk music – understood as a statement of self rule, and ultimate independence – naturally resisted religious restrictions and subordination to God, church or priests. It was thus no surprise that, alongside other institutions of authority, religion became a frequent object of derision within punk rock. This article, however, investigates a peculiar fusion between the ethos of punk protest and the values of Orthodox Christianity in Russian punk rock. It considers, in particular, the Siberian punk scene and explores the aesthetics and ideology of its key figures: Roman Neumoev of Instruktsiia po Vyzhyvaniiu, Egor Letov, the leader of Grazhdanskaia Oborona and Oleg Sudakov aka ‘Manager’ of Rodina.