I lived in Ulan Ude, a predominantly Buddhist town and province of Russia near Lake Baikal. Lots of people, when asked their faith, would say "shamanism". But that was a cultural hint and misnomer. People would practice their religion out in the woods or travel to the large Buddhist temple outside of town because most public officials and the Russian Orthodox church did not allow for Buddhism practices in town.

When I was in Omsk I listened to a man testify that the Russian Orthodox church was good because Father Oleg the local priest had a man killed because he was trying to collect a debt on a member of the church.