Old Russian figure condemned puritans (8)
I believe the answer is:
rasputin
'old russian' is the definition.
'rasputin' can be an answer for 'russian' (I have seen 'Influential Russian' mean 'rasputin' so perhaps 'russian' could also mean 'rasputin'). I'm not certain of the 'old' bit.
'figure condemned puritans' is the wordplay.
'puritans' anagrams to 'RASPUTIN'.
Though, I'm not clear how this is indicated.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rasputin that I've seen before include "Puritans (anag) - Russian monk" , "Peasant monk" , "Russian mystic who had influence in tsar's court" , "This madman" , "Infamous Russian monk" .)