Prabhupada’s concern for Russia

Govinda Dasi: Back in New York, in early 1967, Srila Prabhupada often sat in his room and slowly turned the world globe, studying the geographic demarcations of various countries on the Earth planet. He would sometimes say, "Brahmananda, you will go to Russia, Goursundar, you go to Japan, Rayarama, you will go to Europe..." and so on. Even though he had merely a handful of sincere American youths, most of them in their late teens or early twenties, he had big plans. Clearly, he wanted to open preaching centers in every country on Earth. His vision was huge - he planned to spread the Hare Krishna movement all over the world!  But he was especially concerned about Russia.

Russia, at that time, was the very heartbeat of the communist/ atheist world. The message of atheism, the no-God philosophy that is the destroyer of religiosity, had established itself aggressively in Russia. It had also consumed many other surrounding countries, forcing atheistic education on their children, and punishing those who were Godly. Russia, during the 1960's, was very aggressively moving toward world domination. At least that was their ambition.  

People were suffering in Russia, and Srila Prabhupada was acutely aware of it. He knew that Russia's atheistic propaganda, and aggressive military takeovers of other weaker countries, had to be stopped if Lord Chaitanya's mission were to reach every "town and village."