Russia, Ukraine and Ivan the Terrible

It's been 61 years since I graduated from College and I've forgotten most of my Russian language and history. However, today I've been listening to a fabulous podcast on "The Third Rome," which is a term for the history of Christianity through the eyes of Moscow, the Third Rome. Rome fell apart sometime after the 5th c. I think through corruption, mismanagement and invasions by barbarians, and Constantinople (the 2nd Rome) was taken over by the Muslims, so the Russian Christians see the Moscovy empire as the seat of Christianity (the 3d Rome) in the 16th century. I managed 5 miles on the exercycle learning about Ivan the Terrible and Muscovite Russia. Its name is “Paradise and Utopia,” and the speaker, Fr. John Strickland serves as priest at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church in Poulsbo, Washington, and he is part of "Ancient Faith Ministries." I've only begun to explore the web site and its riches, but the podcast on Ivan reminded me so much of Vladimir Putin. He was a defender of the faith, yet was so bloodthirsty he killed his own son in a fit of rage, had his own priests and boyars (nobles) murdered. He was really paranoid, but believed he was saving the church. If you want to know the symbolic roots of Putin's craziness in attacking another Orthodox Christian nation, listen to this. It was recorded several years ago, before the current invasion, but somehow it all makes sense now. https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/paradiseutopia/the_third_rome_i_ivan_the_terrible_and_the_murder_of_saint_philip