In practice, starting with Stalin the party mostly let the church continue unmolested.
"The Great Patriotic War changed Joseph Stalin’s position on the Orthodox Church. In 1943, after Stalin met with loyal Metropolitans, the government let them choose a new Patriarch, with government support and funding, and permitted believers to celebrate Easter, Christmas and other holidays. Stalin legalized Orthodoxy once again."
"Unmolested" during the war and until Stalin's death. After that, Khrushchev closed churches and started the anti christian campaigning again. The mass murder of "state enemies" mostly ended with Stalin's death, but the church and Christians were still molested, even though they weren't tortured to death.
"The Great Patriotic War changed Joseph Stalin’s position on the Orthodox Church. In 1943, after Stalin met with loyal Metropolitans, the government let them choose a new Patriarch, with government support and funding, and permitted believers to celebrate Easter, Christmas and other holidays. Stalin legalized Orthodoxy once again."
https://www.rbth.com/history/329361-russian-orthodox-church-...