Christian leaders and a religious freedom researcher in Russia have been fined under laws targeting alleged links with organisations declared “undesirable” by the authorities, according to the rights group Forum 18.
The cases involve an archbishop in St Petersburg, two Protestant pastors in the city of Vladimir, and a researcher in the Moscow region. The fines relate to activities including sharing an online interview and possessing Christian books and other religious literature.
On 22 September, Smolny District Court in St Petersburg fined Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko 5,000 roubles (about US$61). The case concerned a YouTube interview he had given to independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe on 5 November 2022. He later shared the interview on Telegram.
The interview, titled “Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko on anti-humanity, faith, and helping refugees”, included discussion of assistance given to Ukrainians who had fled to Russia. Mikhnov-Vaytenko has publicly opposed Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The archbishop was found guilty under Article 20.33 of Russia’s Administrative Code, which punishes participation in the activities of foreign or international organisations declared undesirable in the country. He appealed against the decision, and the district court registered his appeal on 27 October.
In a statement posted on Telegram the day after the fine, Mikhnov-Vaytenko criticised the role of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in the case. He said the prosecution had relied on information provided by the FSB and described the authorities’ position as difficult to challenge.
Mikhnov-Vaytenko leads the Apostolic Orthodox Church, founded in 2000 by Gleb Yakunin. The Moscow Patriarchate had previously removed Yakunin from the priesthood and excommunicated him after he published information about alleged links between church leaders and the Soviet-era KGB. Russia’s Justice Ministry designated Mikhnov-Vaytenko a “foreign agent” in July 2024.
According to Forum 18, the FSB informed the St Petersburg prosecutor’s office in March that the archbishop had shared the Novaya Gazeta Europe interview. The prosecution argued that this amounted to participation in the activities of an organisation whose work had been banned in Russia.
Novaya Gazeta Europe is linked to the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Reuters reported that Novaya Gazeta closed its Moscow editorial office on 9 November after the Justice Ministry added the publication to its “foreign agents” register the previous month.
The newspaper had reported extensively on restrictions affecting religious communities, including prosecutions and fines under laws introduced in 2016. Known as the Yarovaya Package, the legislation expanded surveillance powers and placed restrictions on religious activities, including certain forms of missionary work and worship in private homes.
In the Vladimir region, two Protestant pastors were fined after authorities found Christian books and leaflets published by the US-based organisation Mission Eurasia in their church buildings.
Russia’s Justice Ministry had classified Mission Eurasia as an “undesirable organisation” following a decision by the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors inspected the churches on 1 July and brought cases against Baptist pastor Andrey Butorin and Roman Usmanov, pastor of the Chapel at Golgotha Protestant church. Both were charged under Article 20.33.
Lenin District Court fined Usmanov 20,000 roubles (about US$242) on 29 September. The following day, the same court imposed an identical fine on Butorin.
During the inspection of Usmanov’s church, officials found 81 copies of a book called “How to Tell Children About the Gospel”, six copies of New Testament booklets and several copies of another publication containing Christian words and themes.
Usmanov admitted the charge in court. He told Forum 18 that church workers had put the books in a box because they intended to dispose of them, but some copies had remained accessible to the public. The judge noted his expression of remorse and the fact that he supported three children as reasons for reducing the penalty.
Butorin also admitted guilt but said he had not known that Mission Eurasia had been declared an undesirable organisation. Inspectors found a book titled “False Links in the Great Chain” and 10 booklets titled “The Gospel According to John” in his church library. Court records said the publications were accessible to visitors.
The judge also considered Butorin’s expression of remorse when deciding the penalty. Neither pastor appealed against the fines.
Forum 18 said it contacted the Vladimir City Prosecutor’s Office and Lenin District Court on 23 October to ask whether the seized books would be destroyed. Neither office had responded at the time of its report.
A third case involved Olga Sibiryova, a researcher who spent 16 years working for the Sova Centre for Information and Analysis in Moscow. Her work focused on freedom of religion and belief.
On 10 September, Naro-Fominsk City Court in the Moscow region found Sibiryova guilty under Article 20.33 and fined her 15,000 roubles (about US$180), the maximum penalty under the law. She had left Russia before the hearing, and her lawyer appealed the decision to the Moscow Regional Court on 26 October.
Forum 18 reported that prosecutors argued that organisations including the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA) and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom had referred to Sibiryova’s research. They claimed this amounted to her participation in the activities of those organisations.
The Sova Centre rejected the accusation, describing it as false. It said prosecutors had failed to provide evidence that IRFBA had used publications by Sibiryova or the centre.
In a statement issued on 10 September, the centre argued that a person should not be punished for actions taken by another organisation without their knowledge, agreement or involvement. It also said neither Sibiryova nor the Sova Centre had ever had contact with IRFBA.
Forum 18 sought a response from political scientist Mikhail Bezborodov, who had prepared an expert analysis for the prosecution, as well as from the relevant prosecutor’s offices. It reported that none had responded.
The Sova Centre was added to Russia’s “foreign agents” register in 2016 and was legally dissolved in 2023. Researchers associated with the centre continue to work as an unregistered group.
The cases add to concerns raised by religious freedom organisations about the use of Russia’s laws on “undesirable organisations” and “foreign agents” against people involved in religious activity, research and public discussion.
Based on reporting by CDI.
