Russia-knowers:

Would it be correct to suggest that the early centuries of Russian expansion saw a "no one outside the church" philosophy, but then they came to realise that newly-conquered Muslims can't really be converted, only managed or wiped out?

Is this a debate that is had in the Russian Church or state? What are Putin's thoughts on the matter? He clearly rejects the communisty party-state model of the USSR and seems to govern like a Russian imperial.

Historically, Christian attempts to convert Muslims have been nigh-on impossible. They're either wiped out and forced into exile (Spain), or managed and integrated into the empire (Russia).

The opposite is true; Muslims have successfully converted entire Christian nations (MENA, Balkans, Spain). If we consider this to be a continuing "rule", what does this mean for the future of Europe's seculars who believed Muslims could simply be assimilated?

I guess there's two questions in this thread:

1. How the Russian state approaches its Muslim populations,

2. A hypothetical: what happens when secular Europe realises Muslims can't be assimilated?