As persecution flares up around the world, countless Christians in Ukraine have faced abuse and even death at the hands of Russian soldiers.
From The Washington Times. In conversations surrounding the precarious state of democracy, seldom does the mainstream press delve into the far-reaching impact of the rise of authoritarianism and the consequences faced by Christians worldwide.
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Today, 360 million Christians endure severe persecution and discrimination for their faith — a figure that has almost doubled since 1993 when Christians faced high to extreme persecution in 40 countries. Today, that number has soared to 76 nations. The repercussions of religious persecution are particularly evident after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
I recently had the honor of meeting with an interfaith delegation from Ukraine during their trip to Washington, D.C. Their purpose was to bring attention to the religious persecution in Russian-occupied areas of Crimea and the Donbas regions. In these regions, Russian troops and Russian-backed separatists have specifically targeted religious leaders and followers of various faiths, excluding Orthodox parishes associated with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Members of religious minorities are arbitrarily arrested, threatened, assaulted, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. In addition, 660 religious facilities have been destroyed or damaged throughout Ukraine . …
Each delegation member underscored the cooperation between Moscow Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, a staunch supporter of repression, and the war in Ukraine . They underscored religious leaders, especially those who oppose Russian forces, find themselves targeted for persecution. A recent example is former president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Yuri Sipko, who fled Russia when accused of disseminating “knowingly false information” after speaking out against the war.
Steven Moore, a former Capitol Hill Chief of Staff and president of the Ukraine Freedom Project, recounts Russian torture of Ukrainian evangelicals in his November Substack blog, highlighting a report from the Institute of War showing that Protestants, constituting only 4% of Ukraine ‘s population, accounted for a third of persecution cases by Russians, because Russia associates Evangelical Christians with America. …
In the face of these barbarities, we must acknowledge the grave consequences that await if Russia prevails in Ukraine. The plea for support from those on the front lines of religious persecution is a call not just for the preservation of democracy but for the defense of fundamental human rights.
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(Excerpt from The Washington Times. Photo Credit: Karollyne Videira Hubert on Unsplash)