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Posted on 09/20/2026 6:25:22 PM PDT by LouAvul
I listened to a missionary to the Ukraine in church today. He showed some pictures of Christians living in Crimea, now under Russian control, who had to worship in secret because Putin has outlawed Christianity.
I also heard from a different preacher that Christians are no longer allowed to worship and assemble freely in Russia.
Is that true? I was there in 1995 and Protestants and Catholics could worship freely.
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Kind of like seeing Mexican flags and assorted communist flags and Palestinian flags in protests in blue cities across the US.
Means nothing when waved by people who won’t vote with their feet and go to the country whose flag they are waving.
Russia’s been persecuting pentecostals and others.
The government pays the salaries of clerics which means that for all practical purposes, the government controls the churches that are on the government payroll.
Isn’t Ukraine doing the same thing?
I was in Russia. Moscow. Lectured on Christian Evidences to college students.
When did you visit Crimea? When did you see mostly Russian flags?
I was there in 2002, and although I had only a few semesters of Ukrainian in college, was warmly welcomed by the locals, who kindly switched to Russian so that we could converse.
The sanitorium at which my family and I were staying that summer was located on the grounds of a Russian military base, so of course we saw a lot of Russian national emblems and the like - but we paid in grivna, not rubles.
So, what is the source of your expertise in this matter?
Regards,
Thank u
“… because Putin has outlawed Christianity.”
The Russian Orthodox Church might be surprised at this.
The article literally read, “…because Putin has outlawed Christianity.“
I think that is what people are referencing. The article is kind of all over the place.
Most orthodox worship is performative or political/ cultural. And the attendance is very low.
CC
Right — it’s a Russian problem. Russia is not a free society in religious practice — among other things — never has been, and likely never will be.
That’s what I understand. Their ROC is state supported but, say, the Baptist church for example, is banned. (I’m not Baptist, but it’s an example.)
I dont think that’s true. The main church is the Russian Orthodox church of which Putin is a member and attends. As far as I know they don’t persecute Catholics or protestants.
When FR was more religious Russian persecution of Protestants and Catholics was a pretty common discussion, Russia doesn’t like them and wants them limited and minimized, and occasionally that can be somewhat brutal.
I don’t know about formal bannings, but it takes courage to be a Baptist in Russia or in occupied territories.
“After they beat Azat Azatyan so bad blood came out of his ears; after they sent electric shocks up his genitals; after they wacked him with pipes and truncheons, the Russians began to interrogate him about his faith. “When did you become a Baptist? When did you become an American spy?” Azat tried to explain that in Ukraine there was freedom of religion, you could just choose your faith. But his torturers saw the world the same way as their predecessors at the KGB did: an American church is just a front for the American state.”
(snip)
“Evangelicals are targeted by the Russians disproportionally, and Azat’s story is typical for Russia’s systemic persecution of Protestants in occupied Ukraine. Protestants were the victims of 34 percent of the reported persecution events, and 48 percent in the Zaporizhzhia region where Azat was held. Baptists made up 13 percent of victims – the largest single group after Ukrainian Orthodox. Under Russian control 400 Baptist congregations have been lost, 17% of the total in Ukraine.”
Russian it is, even Franklin Graham is prone to persecution.
Excerpt
Rev. Franklin Graham says he is cancelling an evangelical summit in Russia after the government passed a new law placing severe restrictions on Christian evangelization. “We were looking forward to this significant event being held in Russia because no one knows modern Christian persecution better than the church that suffered under communist rule. However, just a few weeks ago Russia passed a law that severely limits Christians’ freedoms,” Graham posted on Facebook in announcing the cancellation of his World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians.
The law, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, puts a stop to sharing faith in homes, online, and anywhere else except for church buildings. It is considered to be the country’s most restrictive since post-Soviet history. It gives Putin the authority to crack down on nongovernment affiliated churches, according to Archbishop Andrew Maklakov, administrator of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church of America. https://www2.cbn.com/news/world/franklin-graham-cancels-persecution-summit-moscow-over-repressive-law
And that answers the question about restrictions and possible persecution and shows how fragile freedoms are in Russia. I have a feeling that Russia will do what Russia has always done, and will not come dowm on the side of freedom. I understand Putin doesn’t like it when Orthodox clergy have spoken out against the Ukraine war, either. Thanks for posting.
Yep...I agree. Some can’t handle the public discourse.
What Putin’s people here either don’t see or pretend to not see, even as they post that Putin’s government is building one denomination’s expensive and grandiose church buildings that will remain empty, is that Putin does all his religious theatrics for that one government denomination as a way to suppress bible reading Christianity from breaking out among the people.
It is a suppression of Christianity, it is the practice of dampening it and preventing its growth and practice, yet they think (or pretend to) that it is an example of true Christian faith and practice, a shining beacon for Jesus and the Bible.
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