The city was occupied by Russian forces on February 24, 2022. Upon their arrival, one of the first targets for the Russians were the evangelical churches. Melitopol had more Protestant ones than Orthodox. On March 9th, the Russians broke into Mark's church.

They desecrated the place by cutting down the cross in front of the church and replacing it with a Russian flag. The congregants, including Mark and others, were interrogated and tortured.

Tragically, there is no longer a single Protestant church standing in Melitopol, as the Russians destroyed everything, Mark says.