After allowing Russia to simmer on the back burner for the past two years, defenders of religious freedom are turning up the heat on Russia, making it the object of international concern.The first report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states that religious freedom could deteriorate rapidly in Russia. Though some observers believe Russia's situation has stabilized, the future for religious freedom remains unpredictable under the administration of newly elected President Vladimir Putin. For example, Putin signed an amendment in March that extended the deadline (to Dec. 31, 2000) for churches and religious organizations to reregister with the state. Those who fail to meet the new deadline will be closed by court order. A 1990 law had provided equality for all religious groups and broad protections for the exercise of religious rights. But the 1997 Religion Law required that all religious groups reregister with the government by Dec. 31, 1999.About 70 percent of all religious groups failed to complete reregistration by the deadline, including many Russian Orthodox and other "traditional religious groups."This forced the Ministry of Justice to waive the deadline until a formal extension could be approved. Currently an estimated 7,000 religious groups need to register by the end of the year. Religious-rights experts question whether it's physically possible to complete such a daunting task in the remaining five months of the year. Local officials resist "nontraditional" religions, effectively blocking registration of minority churches. Citing State Department information, the commission says that 30 of 89 regions of the Russian Federation adopted regulations that further restricted activities of religious ...