” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Baptist Press • March 7, 2025
Russia seriously violates religious freedom in Ukraine, latest report echoes
Torturing and killing pastors and priests, prosecuting residents for exercising religious freedom, banning worship and entire religious communities, closing churches, prosecuting missionaries and banning Scripture as extremist literature are among the most egregious atrocities Forum 18 cited in its March religious freedom survey of occupied Ukraine.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Locked Faith • January 16, 2025
Two Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russian-occupied Crimea sentenced to 6 years for studying the Bible online | Locked Faith
The alleged proof that Viktor Kudinov and Serhiy Zhyhalov had ‘organized the activities of an extremist organization’ was that they had thanked people for their responses to questions concerning their faith.
An occupation ‘court’ in Sevastopol has sentenced Ukrainian Jehovah’s Witnesses Viktor Kurdinov (b. 1969) and Serhiy Zhyhalov (b. 1971) to six years’ imprisonment for peacefully practising their faith.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Evangelical Focus • January 3, 2025
Raids in churches and pastors sentenced in occupied Ukraine, Evangelical Focus
A Baptist church in Russian-occupied city of Melitopol has been raid 3 times in a year by armed, masked men, and its pastor accused of “illegal missionary activity”.
Christians in occupied Ukraine continue to be under threat, Norwegian human rights group Forum 18, reports.
Religious leaders are investigated, questioned, sent to trial and fined, while churches are raid and sometimes forcibly close. Furthermore, Russian-controlled courts continue to hear illegal missionary activity cases.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />RBC-Ukraine • December 25, 2024
Russians suppress Christmas celebrations in occupied Ukrainian territories | RBC-Ukraine
Russians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are trying to suppress the celebration of Christmas according to the New Julian calendar, which is celebrated on December 24 and 25, according to the ATESH guerrilla movement.
The guerrillas said that collaborators at the enterprises collect information about people who observe this tradition and pass it on to the FSB. People who observe Ukrainian traditions are considered potential saboteurs.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Locked Faith • July 23, 2024
Russia demolishes last Ukrainian Orthodox church in occupied Crimea | Locked Faith
Ukraine has initiated criminal proceedings after the Russian-installed ‘authorities’ in occupied Crimea began demolishing the Holy Cross Chapel in Yevpatoria. This was the last remaining Orthodox Church of Ukraine [OCU] place of worship in occupied Crimea after Russia’s systematic attempts to drive the Church out which began shortly after its invasion and annexation of Crimea.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />UPI • June 16, 2024
Jehovah’s Witnesses accuses Russia of torturing jailed member amid crackdown
A member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses serving a seven-year sentence in a Russian prison for practicing his faith was recently tortured for information about other members of the church, according to the Christian denomination.
Rinat Kiramov, 36, says he’s been punched, bound, tased, waterboarded and deprived of food and sleep by fellow prisoners demanding that he give them names of Jehovah’s Witnesses in his city of Akhtubinsk, located in southwestern Russia near the border with Kazakhstan, according to the Christian denomination.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />The Wall Street Journal • June 16, 2024
Russia Tries to Erase Evangelical Churches From Occupied Ukraine
Ukraine says Kremlin’s war on Evangelicals is aimed at reshaping occupied areas in its own authoritarian image
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Evangelical Focus • June 13, 2024
Protestant woman arrested in occupied Ukraine for alleged comments at home prayer meeting, Evangelical Focus
The church member faces up to 10 years in jail for giving “knowingly false information” about the Russian armed forces. The Russian-imposed authorities say their aim is to “halt the work of religious sects”.
A woman in the early fifties has been under arrest since early 2024 and may already be facing criminal trial at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Regional Court in occupied Ukraine.
She was arrested for participating in a July 2023 prayer meeting held in a private home in the Russia-occupied city of Melitopol (south-east Ukraine).
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Evangelical Focus • May 20, 2024
Evangelicals, one of main targets of Russia in Ukraine
Since the Russian invasion, 600 places of worship have been destroyed, over 30 faith leaders killed or kidnapped, forced expulsions, imprisonments and arrests.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Locked Faith • April 29, 2024
Russia continues to torture priests and destroy Ukrainian churches – IRF released new report | Locked Faith
During the full-scale invasion, Russian troops damaged or wholly destroyed at least 630 churches, prayer houses, and other religious facilities in Ukraine.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />PBS • April 24, 2024
Ukrainian Evangelical Pastors Show Resilience While Facing Persecution From Russian Forces
After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, some 20,000 Ukrainian children were forcefully transferred to Russia. As the city of Mariupol was being surrounded by Russian troops, the head of a Christian orphanage decided to take matters into his own hands to get 19 children to safety. With support from the Pulitzer Center, special correspondent Simon Ostrovsky reports.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />TIME • April 20, 2024
Russia’s War Against Evangelicals
After they beat Azat Azatyan so bad blood came out of his ears; after they sent electric shocks up his genitals; after they wacked him with pipes and truncheons, the Russians began to interrogate him about his faith. “When did you become a Baptist? When did you become an American spy?” Azat tried to explain that in Ukraine there was freedom of religion, you could just choose your faith. But his torturers saw the world the same way as their predecessors at the KGB did: an American church is just a front for the American state.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Russia Tortures Christians • April 10, 2024
Faith Under Siege: Russians Destroyed All Protestant Churches in Melitopol, Ukraine
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.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />Russia Tortures Christians • April 10, 2024
Persecution and Resilience in Luhansk: Viktor’s Story of Courage and Religious Freedom Struggles!
Almost my whole life, I have been a believer in the Evangelical Church. After the Russians came to my native city of Luhansk, they restricted any type of congregation except the Orthodox Russian Church.
My church was prohibited from ministering and holding Sunday services. One day, I was captured on the road by Russians and imprisoned in their basement, where I was tortured. On one occasion, while being teased by electricity and tortured with baseball bats, they invited a Russian Orthodox Church priest.
He told me that because I am an Evangelical Christian, he had to cast demons out of me. While I was being tortured, the priest of the Russian Orthodox Church watched me.
” alt=”” class=”has-border-color has-palette-color-5-border-color wp-image-479″ style=”border-width:1px” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />PBS • April 10, 2024
Ukrainian Christian Groups Face Violent Crackdown From Russian Forces
When the Russians come into a town in an occupied area, they see Protestant churches, they say, this is an American religion. You must be an agent of the American government.
So they go to the churches. They shut them down. They frequently torture the pastor, and, sometimes, they murder believers for their faith. And we know of 29 Christian leaders who have been murdered in Ukraine by the Russians.