ABSTRACT
Post-Soviet Russia experienced a profound religious transformation, shifting from clandestine Soviet-era practices to a public resurgence marked by pluralism, including Christian denominations, indigenous beliefs, and new spiritual movements. Fueled by foreign missionaries and a brief surge in religious freedom, religion became increasingly entwined with political change. In Siberia, Christian denominations expanded alongside revived indigenous and shamanic traditions, making religion central to cultural revitalization and indigenous activism. The Nenets tundra reflected these dynamics, as competition among Protestant missions sparked social divisions and contested identities. Missionaries established churches, translated scriptures into native languages, and embedded evangelical Christianity within a landscape shaped by Soviet legacies. This era of religious fluidity was later curtailed by the securitization of religion under Putin, as state policies imposed restrictions and reshaped the region's religious landscape.
