I think this is a very interesting perspective; I was not aware of Putin's Orthodox upbringing.

My intuition is telling me that he uses religion when it's useful in accomplishing his larger goals, which I believe are to return to the Brezhnev-era level of prominence of ̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶U̶S̶S̶R̶ ̶ Russia.