Russia’s Communist leader stops interview when asked to reconcile Soviet atheism and modern-day faith

Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of Russia’s Communist Party, abruptly stopped an interview today with Echo of Moscow, when asked an uncomfortable question about the Communist Party’s anti-religious policies during the Soviet era and the church-going members of Russia’s modern-day Communist Party.

“What you’re doing is a disgrace,” Zyuganov responded angrily, saying he already addressed all questions about the relationship between religion and Communism in a 2003 book, titled Holy Russia and Koshchey's Kingdom, where Zyuganov concluded that “a united Russia is impossible without religious believers and the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

Zyuganov did not wait to hear to the entire question, which was submitted by a listener of Echo of Moscow, who wanted to know if Communist Party members were “lying then or lying now” about being atheists during the Soviet era and believing in God after the fall of the USSR.

“If you’re interested in a normal dialogue, I’m ready. But if this is how it goes, I’ll say goodbye. What you’re doing is a disgrace, to put it mildly. I simply don’t want… You know, I’m shocked that even on the eve of Victory Day, you’re involved in such a disgrace—you really are. Don’t call me anymore about these questions,” Zyuganov said.