The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemns the Russian Federation’s systematic persecution of clergy and believers in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, targeting diverse religious groups to eliminate local spiritual identities. Occupation forces are actively suppressing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestant congregations, Roman Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Muslim Crimean Tatars. Reports indicate religious leaders are being abducted, houses of worship destroyed, and communities forced into submission to the Moscow-controlled church. Ukraine calls on the international community to impose further sanctions and hold Russia accountable for these war crimes.

The documentary A Faith Under Siege investigates the systematic religious persecution occurring on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, where the Russian army collaborates closely with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to suppress and eliminate other Christian traditions. The film shows that the ROC actively participates in the destruction of churches and the displacement of other denominations, including Evangelical communities, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and Greek Catholics. Testimonies from pastors, chaplains, and civilians reveal targeted arrests, torture, confiscation of church property, and efforts to force believers into structures controlled by the ROC. The story also features the abuse of American Christians who come to support Ukrainian churches.

U.S Helsinki Commission, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, conducts a hearing focusing on the persecution of Christian communities in Ukraine, particularly in areas occupied by Russian forces. Testimonies describe how Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Greek Catholic, and Protestant groups face church closures, confiscation of property, detention, and abuse of clergy. Russian authorities and structures linked to the Russian Orthodox Church are enforcing religious control and suppressing communities seen as disloyal. Witnesses emphasize that religion is being used as a tool of political influence and cultural domination. The discussion highlights broader human rights violations and calls for international attention, accountability, and protection of religious freedom in Ukraine.

This report details the findings of the project “Religion on Fire,” which documents the impact of Russia’s full-scale military invasion on Ukraine’s diverse religious landscape. Between February 2022 and February 2023, systematic monitoring and field trips verified that at least 415 religious buildings were damaged or completely destroyed. This destruction heavily impacted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and various Protestant communities. Beyond physical damage, the report documents severe war crimes, including the military use of shrines, systemic looting, and the targeted persecution of religious minorities in occupied territories. The project aims to provide evidence for legal accountability and international human rights advocacy. Ultimately, the authors recommend advancing national legislation, supporting vulnerable minorities, and imposing international sanctions against Russian religious leaders who endorse the aggression.

At least 80 clergy members of various denominations have been killed by Russian forces and their collaborators in the occupied areas since the start of the full-scale invasion. Another 20 were abducted, and their fate remains unknown. Meanwhile, about 70,000 believers were forced to flee occupied territories specifically due to religious persecution, and another 3,000–5,000 faced repression because of their faith – ranging from arrests to torture. Around 800 religious sites have been damaged or destroyed since the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine. These losses affect multiple denominations, including Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and other faith communities. The destruction of churches, synagogues, and other places of worship are part of a broader pattern of violence that severely impacts religious freedom and cultural heritage. Clergy deaths are described as both targeted and incidental, occurring in situations of shelling, occupation, and military operations. The destruction and damage of hundreds of religious sites contributes to an environment where believers are unable to safely practice their faith.

Since the beginning of Russian-backed control in parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014, religious communities not aligned with pro-Russian structures have faced coercion and violence. Protestant churches, Greek Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and independent Orthodox groups were particularly targeted by armed formations and occupation authorities. By 2014–2018, numerous cases were documented in Donetsk and Luhansk regions where churches were seized, prayer houses closed, and religious leaders abducted or interrogated. For example, Protestant pastors were detained and accused of extremism, while some congregations were banned outright. Armed groups disrupted services at gunpoint, confiscated religious materials, and imposed restrictions on public worship. In contrast, institutions linked to the Moscow Patriarchate were generally allowed to operate. These actions created a climate of fear, forcing many believers to flee or practice their faith in secrecy, and effectively dismantling religious pluralism in the occupied territories.

Russia and its proxies used religion as a weapon during the occupations of Crimea and Donbas. The primary objective was to establish the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) as the sole legitimate faith while suppressing all “non-traditional” groups. In Donbas, pro-Russian militants targeted Protestants (Baptists, Pentecostals, and Mormons), Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, labelling them “spies” or “sectarians.” Believers faced kidnappings, torture, and the seizure of places of worship. In Crimea, the crackdown focused heavily on Crimean Tatar Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were prosecuted under Russian anti-extremism laws. These systemic violations aimed to eliminate religious diversity and enforce ideological loyalty to the “Russian World” narrative.

The provided texts reveal a systematic dismantling of religious freedom in Russian-occupied Crimea since 2014. Imposing restrictive legal frameworks and mandatory re-registration severely reduced the peninsula’s vibrant interfaith landscape, driving active denominations down from 43 to 20. Independent bodies face intense administrative coercion, armed raids, and closure. Crimean Tatar Muslims suffer widespread persecution and lengthy imprisonments under fabricated terrorism charges. Concurrently, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been completely driven out through property seizures, forced demolitions, and targeted drafts. Banned groups, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, face severe criminal convictions. Conversely, state-aligned organizations, like the Russian Orthodox Church, are actively integrated into the occupying military-ideological complex. Alarmingly, these repressive tactics are now being extended across newly occupied Ukrainian territories.

In December 2022, Russian-installed authorities in occupied Zaporizhzhia, led by Yevgeny Balitsky, banned four religious communities, including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and several Protestant groups. Accusing these churches of extremism, links to foreign intelligence, and storing weapons, the administration seized all their properties. Furthermore, occupation forces have detained and “disappeared” several priests. Greek Catholic priests Fr. Ivan Levytsky and Fr. Bohdan Heleta were seized in November 2022, while Ukrainian Orthodox priest Fr. Kostiantyn Maksimov was detained in May 2023. As of late 2023, detention facilities in Crimea and Donetsk continued to hold them, refusing to provide information about their whereabouts or condition.