Baptists in Luhansk and Donetsk penalized for "religious outreach"

In occupied Ukraine, the Russian police and anti-extremism police continue to raid meetings of the Council of Churches Baptist congregations, a group that does not seek official registration or notify authorities of their activities.

On 8 June, a Council of Churches Baptist congregation in Krasnodon was raided during Pentecost. Another Baptist church in Sverdlovsk was targeted on 10 August, during a Sunday morning worship service. Officers photographed religious literature found in the churches during these raids.

Pastor Vladimir Rytikov, a pensioner who has to care for a 36-year-old son that cannot live independently, due to a head injury, faced a trial on 14 July to review his conviction for "unlawful missionary activity." He was fined 45,000 Russian roubles, which is more than a month's average local wages. His appeal against the fine was upheld by the Luhansk Supreme Court.

Another member of the Council of Churches Baptist congregations, Oksana Volyanskaya, was fined 10,000 Russian Roubles for "unlawful missionary activity" by the Starobesheve district court in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. She did not appeal the decision that ordered the destruction of her religious books.

This crackdown on religious freedom is not limited to the Council of Churches Baptist congregations. In June, two Protestant churches with Russian registration were punished for failing to use their full, official name, either on their building or on their literature. Previously, a local Jewish and a Roman Catholic community were also punished on the same charges.

Major Gennady Turko of the Anti-Extremism Centre interrogated the pastor and the representative of the owner of the house where the church in Sverdlovsk meets. Police searched the home after the service, claiming they had a search warrant for suspected weapons.

Over 50 church members attended the appeal hearing in support of Pastor Rytikov. Evangelical Focus, Europe, publishes this article to bring attention to the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in occupied Ukraine and to support the mission of organizations like Evangelical Focus, which faces a sustainability challenge ahead.