Russian police and anti-extremism units have carried out repeated raids on Council of Churches Baptist congregations in Russian-occupied Ukraine, targeting worshippers for meeting without official registration.
On 8 June, authorities raided a church in Krasnodon (official Ukrainian name Sorokyne) during Pentecost celebrations. Pastor Vladimir Rytikov was later found guilty of “missionary activity” by the Russian-controlled Krasnodon Town Court and fined more than a month’s pension. His appeal, heard on 29 August, left the fine unchanged. Local Baptists say the charges are “baseless,” noting that Russia’s 1997 Religion Law does not link the holding of worship services to the registration of a religious group.
A second raid occurred on 10 August in Sverdlovsk (Dovzhansk), where police filmed congregants and searched the building and the pastor’s home. Officers confiscated religious literature and claimed the church might possess weapons.
Individual fines for “missionary activity” have been reported in other areas. In Starobesheve, Donetsk Region, Oksana Volyanskaya was fined a week’s wages on 30 June, and her religious books were ordered destroyed. Between 9 July and 6 August, four other courts in Donetsk imposed similar fines. Even registered Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish communities have faced penalties for minor administrative issues, such as not displaying their full official names.
The United Nations has repeatedly condemned such actions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated in May that Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine violates freedom of religion or belief, noting that religious groups should be able to gather for worship and practice their faith without fear of prosecution or harassment.
The raids form part of broader restrictions in occupied territories, including the illegal annexation of land, arrest and harassment of religious leaders, closure of communities, banning of religious texts, and disinformation campaigns against believers.
Adapted from Open Doors.
