An Unbroken Line of Pagans in Eastern Europe

Bloody 'ell!
A rather uprising bit of info cropped up today; a burgeoning, unbroken line of Paganism in a wee bitty-bit of Russia.
The Mari people are currently fighting to preserve their traditions and sacred Groves from vandalism. The translation isn't all that great, but neither is my Russian, so here you go.

The main points of their faith revolve around a belief in Nature as the source of all that is good (similar to many animist faiths around the world). They are polytheistic, and their gods seem to be tied deeply to the surrounding land and it's natural features. Sounds quite a bit like modern Paganism in many respects; I'm very interested in how much of their specific practices will come to light, and what we can learn from them to 'fill in the gaps', as it were, in our own rituals, devotion, and traditions.

-Carmin