Putin claimed communist ideology has all the hallmarks of religion in that it is based on equality, brotherhood and it has its own “holy scripture”.

Speaking in an interview for a documentary film called "Valaam”, a clip from which was broadcast by the Russia 1 TV channel, he said: "Faith has always accompanied us, it strengthened when our country, our people faced particularly difficult times.

"There were such severe years of militant atheism during the Soviet period when priests were killed, churches were destroyed. But at the same time a new religion was being created — communist ideology, which is very similar to Christianity, in fact.

“Freedom, equality, brotherhood, justice — all of this is enshrined in the Holy Scripture, it's all there. And what about the Code of the Builders of communism? This is a sublimation, it's really just a primitive excerpt from the Bible, nothing new was invented.”

He also compared leader of the Bolshevik Party and of the Russian revolutions, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - better known as Lenin - to Christian saints.

When Lenin died in 1924, his body was embalmed and put on display in a mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow.

Mr Putin added: “Look, Lenin was put in a mausoleum. How is this different from the relics of saints for Orthodox Christians and just for Christians?

“When they say that there’s no such tradition in Christianity, well, how come, go to Athos and take a look, there are relics of the saints there, and we have holy relics here.”

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Ivan Melnikov said: “I think these words of the president very effectively and reasonably smooth out the acute angles around the theme of the mausoleum.

“Communists and all the leftist patriotic forces in Russia understand that communism is close to Christianity as much as the form of capitalism that exists in our country and our economy today is far from Christianity.”

The cult of Lenin was part of Soviet ideology but there is public debate about the possibility of giving Lenin’s remains a proper burial, which began in the early days of Perestroika - a political movement for Soviet reformation in the 1980s.

A recent poll by the Levada Centre showed the country is split down the middle in terms of support for Lenin’s burial.

The poll showed 41 per cent favoured a formal burial, 41 per cent opposed and 18 per cent could not make up their minds.

Lenin himself was a humble person, living a self-imposed ascetic lifestyle and did not wish to be idealised during his lifetime.

Head of the Russian Communist Party said Putin promised him that as long as he remains President then Lenin’s body will remain on display.

The communist chief quoted Putin as saying: “As long as I sit here, there will be no barbarism in Red Square.”

Mr Zyuganov said Putin dismissed allegations Lenin was not buried in accordance with Christian traditions.

He quotes Putin as saying: “As far as the form of the burial is concerned, they used the one that is also used in Orthodox Christianity – he lies a meter and a half below the ground level. Sepultures and cave burials have been known for a long time.”

Lenin was the first leader of the Soviet Union when it formed in 1922 after a second revolution.

The first Russian revolution of 1917 devised by Lenin saw the Bolsheviks overthrow the Tsarist regime.

In the Second revolution, the Bolsheviks overthrew a liberal democracy, persecuted and liquidated their opponents - including communist rivals the Mensheviks - to set up a “dictatorship of the proletariat”.

After Lenin's death, Joseph Stalin became the leader and ushered in the bloodiest period of Russia's history.