THE IMPACT OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION ON FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES IN UKRAINE

Since the first months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2014, faith-based communities of various denominations have fully experienced the brutality and ruthlessness of Russia’s repressive policy in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas region. Russian troops and Russian- backed separatists have targeted religious leaders and individual believers of most faiths, except the Orthodox parishes affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate. Representatives of religious minorities were arbitrarily arrested, threatened, beaten, illegally imprisoned, tortured, and some were deliberately killed. The repressive policy in the self-proclaimed “people’s republics,” in those parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by Russia, was aimed at strengthening the Russian regime and preventing resistance. The occupying authorities have eradicated dissent and all manifestations of Ukrainian identity, brutally persecuted pro-Ukrainian movements and any form of opposition, and introduced full control over the civilian population, similar to the situation in Russia itself.

One of the tools to repress Ukrainian religious communities in the Donbas region was the introduction of Russian legislation, which was entirely copied. Believers have faced demands from the occupying authorities for mandatory re-registration, acceptance of Russian citizenship, submission of lists of members of religious communities, etc.

However, even fulfillment of all these requirements did not guarantee re-registration under Russian law. After all, the real goal of the occupation authorities was to encourage religious communities and their leaders to collaborate and support the Russian regime. Disloyal religious leaders and denominations were persecuted through arbitrary accusations of spying for Ukrainian or Western intelligence services, sectarianism, extremism, or illegal missionary activities.

The evangelical churches (Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, etc.), as well as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, suffered particularly from Russian repression. In addition, the occupying authorities have declared the faithful of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah’s Witnesses to be “enemies of the people” and “extremists.” Religious communities on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014, have also been subjected to targeted repression. In particular, many representatives of Muslim communities of pro-Ukrainian Crimean Tatars and Jehovah’s Witnesses were sentenced to long prison terms on trumped-up extremism charges.

At least 630 religious sites were damaged or looted due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine Previously, the Kremlin tried to disguise its direct military intervention in the events in the Donbas region from the international community. However, since February 24, 2022, President Vladimir Putin’s desire to completely conquer Ukraine and destroy Ukrainian statehood, national identity, culture, history, language, and religious pluralism became apparent. Hiding behind the slogans of protecting the Russian language, “denazification,” and “desatanization” of Ukraine, the Kremlin was actually implementing the ideology of the “Russkiy Mir” (Russian World). As interpreted by Russian propagandists, this ideology meant the physical destruction (genocide) of the Ukrainian people as a nation, the elimination of any mention of their cultural heritage, the overthrow of the Ukrainian government, and the disappearance of the Ukrainian state. For the sake of Putin’s imperial ambitions, Russian soldiers continue to die on Ukrainian land. During the 21 months of the full-scale invasion, Russian troops have wholly destroyed or damaged at least 630 religious facilities in Ukraine. Most were damaged by Russian missiles, kamikaze drones, and artillery, including targeted attacks on civilian objects. In addition, some places of worship have been deliberately looted by the Russian military, closed, or converted by the occupation authorities into administrative buildings. The Institute for Religious Freedom has also documented numerous cases of seizure of places of worship by the Russian military, which used them as military bases or as cover for their firing positions. This tactic of the Russian army resulted in an increase of destruction of religious sites in Ukraine.

Most churches, prayer houses, synagogues, and mosques were destroyed in Donetsk region (at least 146), Luhansk region (at least 83), and Kherson region (at least 78). The destruction in Kyiv region was also enormous (73) when Russian troops attempted to capture the capital of Ukraine in February-March 2022. Due to the ongoing hostilities, the number of destroyed buildings is increasing in Kharkiv region (at least 62), Zaporizhzhia region (at least 51), and Mykolaiv region (at least 41).

The Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF) is a human rights NGO, founded in 2001 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Our goal is to protect and promote religious freedom and other related human rights, facilitate inter- faith dialogue and church-state cooperation, strengthen democratic foundations and civil society in Ukraine. For this research, IRF conducted a written questionnaire and an oral survey of representatives of most churches and religious associations in Ukraine, as well as recorded video testimonies and documented specific Russian war crimes against religious leaders and faith-based communities

You're not evangelical Christian. You're propagandist, probably an operative of some kind or another. If you are more concerned with Russia than this country, MAY GOD CURSE YOU and bringing you to your knees.

Rather, as my web site, postings and anyone who knows me can tell you, I am in-deed an evangelical Christian, and also more concerned with this country, than Russia - and the spiritual war behind it all, and do no promote any "one true" organic church, while you are the one who is evidenced as being part of a cult with Putin as you idol, who now has gone as far as calumny and invoking cursing due to my critical judgment of Putin and Russia's anti-evangelical laws, and suppression of publicly doing so. Even if not implemented as fully as stated (partly due to lacking electronic provision to do so).

Thus I will once close, not with a "may God curse you" but may God grant you “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:25)

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