![Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a mass in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Russia, on Jan. 7, 2018](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/why-putin-is-an-ally-for-american-evangelicals-1.jpg)
By Melani McAlister, The Conversation — The close relationship between American evangelicals and Russia has lately been discussed widely in the news media. In particular, the Justice Department unsealed a criminal complaint in July against a Russian woman, Maria Butina, for trying to use the National Prayer Breakfast, a star-studded affair, as a “back channel of communication” with prominent American religious and political leaders. Among them is Franklin Graham, son of the well-known evangelist, Billy Graham…