Upcoming Events
The Baton and the Cross
The Great Hall, Oundle
In this provocative new book, Lucy Ash reveals how, under Putin, religion is being stripped of its spiritual content and used as a weapon to control the population. Orthodox clerics and their acolytes distort theology as they preach Slav Christian supremacy and drag Russia backwards into a new Middle Ages. Combining historical research with vivid present-day reportage, The Baton and the Cross explores the impact the Church has on millions of lives—from the tower blocks of big cities to far-flung villages in Siberia. Delving into the underbelly of politics, state security and big money, Ash shows how these forces have formed an unholy alliance with Orthodoxy in the dystopia of twenty-first-century Russia.
Lucy will be in conversation with Keir Giles, a regular contributor and commentator on Russian affairs and a Senior Consulting Fellow at the UK’s Royal Institute of International Affairs.
'A TIMELY AND IMPORTANT BOOK' - ORLANDO FIGES
'SPELLBINDING' - ANDREI KURKOV
The Great Hall
New Street, Oundle, Peterborough, PE8 4GH
Thursday 19th February 2026
7.30pm–8.30pm