Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall discusses Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning about the use of nuclear weapons if his country's independence is threatened on 'The Story.'

On Sunday, Russian State TV Channel 1 ran footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending a church on the premises of his Novo-Ogaryevo residency compound to honor the memory of the victims of the terrorist attack on a concert hall in a Moscow suburb. Putin was seen lighting a candle, making a sign of the cross with his fingers and bowing.

This is not the first time the Russian strongman has used a religious ceremony to project a spiritual persona, especially at the time of a national crisis. Is Putin really a devout person of faith who believes in God? Or is he an evil man who has weaponized religion to attain his personal ambitions and advance the Russian state’s political agenda? The answer is more complicated than what is portrayed by the Western media.

To understand Putin’s relationship with faith and the role religion plays in Russia’s foreign policy, let’s take a look at his family’s connection to religion and Russia’s religious history. In his official autobiography, "First Person Conversations with Vladimir Putin (Ot Pervogo Litsa)," Putin told a story about his mother, a Russian Orthodox Christian, secretly baptizing him as a baby. She did it without the knowledge of her husband, Putin’s father, who was a Communist and, therefore, an atheist.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle during his visit to a church of the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on March 24, 2024, during a national day of mourning following the attack on Crocus City Hall, which has been claimed by the Islamic State group. (Photo by MIKHAIL METZEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

However, Putin did not grow up a cradled Christian. He did not attend church and did not wear a cross until, in 1993, his mother asked him to take his baptismal cross with him on an official visit to Israel and have it blessed. Putin blessed the cross at the Tomb of the Lord, put it on his neck and never took it off, according........

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