Ukrainian Christian groups face violent crackdown from Russian forces

[wing2000]

Putin is purging Evangelical and Ukranian Orthodox Churches in occupied Ukraine.

"Since the occupation, evangelical congregations, Protestant churches, all the non-Russian Orthodox Christian faiths have been deemed undesirable and tens of thousands of believers have been forced to flee. Those who remain gather in secret in private homes for fear of angering the new regime.

The head of that new regime makes himself out to be the defender of the faith, his faith. With the client patriarch of the national church at his side, Vladimir Putin and his supporters make little secret of their plans to put Russian Orthodox Christianity above all other forms of Christianity."

"At least 206 evangelical churches have been expropriated or destroyed, according to the Institute for Religious Freedom, a Ukrainian watchdog group.

Ukrainian Christian groups face violent crackdown from Russian forces

Russia first occupied the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in March 2022. After the persecution of pro-Ukrainian activists, former government officials, human rights defenders and journalists, Russian secret services turned its attention to churches, their pastors and congregations. With the support...

www.pbs.org

 

[AlexB23]

Putin is purging Evangelical and Ukranian Orthodox Churches in occupied Ukraine.

"Since the occupation, evangelical congregations, Protestant churches, all the non-Russian Orthodox Christian faiths have been deemed undesirable and tens of thousands of believers have been forced to flee. Those who remain gather in secret in private homes for fear of angering the new regime.

The head of that new regime makes himself out to be the defender of the faith, his faith. With the client patriarch of the national church at his side, Vladimir Putin and his supporters make little secret of their plans to put Russian Orthodox Christianity above all other forms of Christianity."

"At least 206 evangelical churches have been expropriated or destroyed, according to the Institute for Religious Freedom, a Ukrainian watchdog group.

Ukrainian Christian groups face violent crackdown from Russian forces

Russia first occupied the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in March 2022. After the persecution of pro-Ukrainian activists, former government officials, human rights defenders and journalists, Russian secret services turned its attention to churches, their pastors and congregations. With the support...

www.pbs.org

Putin needs to stop this war, and withdraw his troops. Authoritarian regimes always seem to crack down on Christians, such as in China (PDF). One of my coworkers who works in a different department at my job, an immigrant from Russia who moved a decade ago to the US had two words to say about Putin, when I asked him his opinion on Russia. He said this: "Russia sucks". He put it bluntly, and he is a pretty chill dude. Now, Russia itself does not suck, but the authoritarian government there does.


Here is a summary of the PBS News Hour transcript (subtitles):

The PBS News Hour transcript from April 10, 2024, reports on the persecution of churches and their pastors in Russian-occupied Ukraine. The Russian Secret Services have been targeting non-Russian Orthodox Christian faiths, such as evangelical congregations and Protestant churches, forcing tens of thousands of believers to flee. Pastors Mikhaylo Brytsyn from Grace Evangelical Church and Mark Sergeev from New Generation Church share their experiences of Russian soldiers shutting down their places of worship and forcing them to leave. The new regime, led by Vladimir Putin, has been making plans to elevate Russian Orthodox Christianity above all other forms of Christianity.

Evangelical churches have been targeted the most, with at least 206 churches expropriated or destroyed according to the Institute for Religious Freedom. The Russian Security Services have accused pastors of being American spies and agents, resulting in violence and murders. In the city of Melitopol, New Generation Church was the largest and first to face Russian ire due to its pastor's public support for Ukraine. The Russian forces searched and expropriated the church building, replacing the large cross with a Russian flag.

Religious persecution is not new to Ukraine as it has faced similar issues during Stalin's Red Terror in the 1930s, when religious leaders were targeted and accused of being extremists and spies. Three pastors from Mikhaylo Brytsyn's church were put to death on false espionage charges. The wave of persecution has forced most evangelists to flee Russian-occupied Ukraine, leaving those who remain to pray in secret. Mikhaylo Brytsyn is now on a mission to raise awareness of the situation in Ukraine and its Protestant community. Mark Sergeev, who was also forced to leave Melitopol, now serves as a chaplain on the front lines with soldiers.

The transcript emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about the persecution of Protestant churches in Russian-occupied Ukraine and the need for support from the English-speaking world.

 

[Follower3]

I just found out about this, 27 priests were killed (probably more.) People were threatened in church during service by russian soldiers, and crosses were torn down to put up russian flags.
Please pray or our believers in Christ who have been pushed out, killed, and threatened. We have no idea how good we have it do we? (we in the western world)