In addition to the publicity mentioned above, this fits in with Vlad's long term strategy to rid Mother Russia of anything that isn't part of what he deems to be her heritage and history. This strategy has served him well to energize and mobilize his followers (us against them), many of whom feel lost in the post-Cold War Russia. They have lost their place at the top of the heap, along with the US, in determining global political and military change. The mojo he had during the last Winter Olympics has been lost due to global recession, $30 oil, an exodus of capital and investors and sanctions.
Capitalism has brought many gains to Mother Russia, but it has also resulted in a flood of diverse ideas and philosophies. Vlad and his henchmen might vigorously place barriers in the way of the J-Dubs, Evangelicals and to some degree Muslims, but they are building a wall around the Russian Orthodox Church, which Vlad and the Impalers see as true Russian. The May 2015 law Vlad signed regarding "undesirable foreign groups" illustrates this mentality.
Some think that Vlad has moved from being an atheist to a staunch X-tian; Intel analysts see a shrewd tactical and strategic move by a true blue KGBer who would like to go back to the good old days. Those days include the Russian Orthodox Church.