Russian Pastor Sentenced Over Anti-War Sermon
Concerns grew Sunday about a frail elderly Russian pastor after he was sentenced to a prison camp for publicly criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia
Russian Pastor Arrested/Detained For Sermon Against Ukraine War
A Pentecostal pastor in Russia is in prison charged with undermining national security after he preached a sermon in which he criticized the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine from a Biblical perspective, the Norway-based Forum 18 rights group reports.
Cash-Strapped Russia Fines Evangelical Christians
Evangelical Christians in Russia were forced to pay a “tax on faithfulness” in 2022, which will likely increase this year as part of a government crackdown on non-Orthodox faiths, rights investigators tell Worthy News.
Hundreds of Russian evangelicals call for end to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, “God can stop war”
In what has been described as an extraordinarily courageous step, hundreds of evangelical Christians in Russia have signed an open petition calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop his invasion of Ukraine, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
Russia Keeps Punishing Evangelicals in Crimea
Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014—one of the central points of conflict in the current clash between the two countries—Protestant Christians in the territory have faced greater government penalties for practicing their faith.
Russian Christian School Attack Injures Eight
As many as eight people were injured after a Russian teenager tried to blow himself up in an apparent suicide attack outside a Christian school and a monastery, officials said Monday.
Russia Increasingly Banning Christian Education
Russia has stripped several Christian institutions of their right to offer higher education, several sources confirmed.
Russian Court Fines Virus-Denying Priest
A Russian court has fined an influential priest for publicly denying the existence of the new coronavirus and urging his followers to ignore government ordered lockdowns.
Wave of evangelical church closures in Russia belies Putin’s pledge to help Christians
At least 3 evangelical churches have been closed in Russia over the last 6 months, in spite of President Vladimir Putin’s pledge at a recent conference to “do everything” to protect Christians in the Middle East.
Russian Anti-Missionary Law Mainly Hampers Christians
Concerns among Russian Christians that the government’s antiterrorism legislation, adopted last year, would take away their religious freedom have been proven true.
Russia’s Crackdown on Evangelism Leads to Prosecution of Mostly Christians 1 Year After ‘Anti-Missionary’ Law
Evangelical Protestants make up the majority of the 181 cases prosecuted by Russian authorities under the country’s notorious ‘anti-missionary’ laws, which came into force last July, according to a report. Christians were also prosecuted in Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014.
For the First Time, Russia Ranked Among Worst Violators of Religious Freedom
Russia’s ongoing crackdown on religious minorities, foreign missionaries, and evangelists has earned it a spot among the worst countries in the world for religious freedom.
Russia Arrested Ukrainian Religious Leader While Preaching at a St. Petersburg Messianic Congregation
Russia has brought an administrative case against a religious leader under the country’s controversial new package of anti-terrorist laws.
American Bapist Minister Targeted Under New Anti-Evangelism Law in Russian
An American man is among the first group of people to be targeted under new anti-evangelism laws in Russia.
Russian Believers May Need to Disobey New Law
Christians in Russia are grappling with a new law that effectively makes it illegal for them to share their faith, preach or pray outside of officially designated sites.
Christians in Russia Refuse to Stop Sharing the Gospel Despite Putin’s Ban on Evangelism
The Slavic Centre for Law and Justice, an affiliate of the American Center for Law and Justice, said a new manner of carrying out missionary work in Russia will have to be established.
Russia: Court Sentences Pastor Five Days
Last month a court in the Russian city of Orel sentenced a pastor to five days in prison.
Russian Authorities Target Christian-Run Projects
Christian organizations in Russia that teach secular education may face harassment from government officials, according to Barnabas Aid.
Moscow Destroys Russian Pentecostal Church
A congregation of evangelical Christians in Russia’s capital Moscow were without a church building Tuesday, September 11, after workers with bulldozers and other equipment destroyed their Holy Trinity Pentecostal Church complex, protected by local police, witnesses said.
Russian Mission Group Warns Of Crackdown On Evangelicals; Anti-Putin Protesters Gather
As protesters demanding more freedom and fair elections prepared to demonstrate in freezing temperatures in Moscow Saturday, February 4, a major Russian mission group warned of more difficulties for evangelical Christians and other, religious, minorities in Russia and other former Soviet Union nations.