Heathen Russians Target Churches in Occupied Ukraine

Since the beginning of the latest Russian war against Ukraine and Ukrainians – and for centuries before that – Russian cutthroats have targeted for destruction Ukrainian cultural artifacts, churches, libraries and other repositories of Ukrainian culture in order to obliterate evidence of the nation’s existence today and to wipe the historical slate clean of their presence in this planet.

Mission Network News on November 3, 2025, wrote about the Russians targeting Ukrainian churches in occupied regions of Ukraine for destruction or subversion. However, these violations of UNESCO restrictions that are tantamount to war crimes are felt equally in all regions of Ukraine.

Darina Rebro wrote: “Russian authorities are tightening their grip on occupied territories of Ukraine. Churches are under special scrutiny because sermons and prayers can either strengthen believers in faith and courage or pressure them to compromise with the occupying regime.

Pastor Mykhailo Brytsyn, a partner with Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says the crackdown has intensified especially against unregistered congregations.

“There are a lot of such churches,” Brytsyn explained, “because Ukrainian laws allowed churches to exist without registration.”

On the other hand, since the invasion, under Russian rule, churches must register so authorities can monitor sermons. Those who refuse risk punishment, and some gatherings are raided. Brytsyn experienced these limitations and oppression firsthand: “I saw it during the occupation, when it was forbidden to go to church, when our church buildings were already confiscated. People go to home groups for Bible study, as during the Soviet Union.”

Brytsyn said that his own church in Melitopol, a city in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine, was seized and transformed into an entertainment club. For believers who remained in town, even walking past the building brings deep pain.

“Russians cut off the cross,” he recalled being to mind criminal acts by the communists and tsarists. “They painted it brown and put up some picture instead.”

In occupied Berdiansk, a port city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, south-eastern Ukraine, pastor Ilya and his wife Kateryna led a small church — until persecution forced them to flee.

“In 2024 he was twice arrested,” Brytsyn said. “He was tortured, and the third arrest — it could be the end. They escaped from the territory.”

Believers who remain in the occupied territories now worship quietly in small groups, echoing the secret prayer groups in the so-called catacombs of the Soviet era. Fear of informants keeps trust fragile, yet faith endures.

“I saw a lot of people who weren’t so dedicated to church attendance, but they made a decision and went to church firmly and bravely,” Brytsyn was quoted as saying. “For them, it was like their repentance — they were turning to Christ or renewing their commitment to Him.”

Rebro concluded her article: “Even as suffering deepens, believers see God moving in remarkable ways — through unity, mercy, and His protecting hand. Some ministers continue their training online as they pray for strength and hope in Ukraine’s darkest hours.”

The tsars, stalin, hitler and putin have sought the total eradication and annihilation of everything Ukrainian, including the people. And that’s exactly what we’re fighting for – the preservation of our bloodline.

I invite you to read two earlier posts on this topic based on the 2014 movie “The Monuments Men”: https://thetorncurtain1991.blogspot.com/search?q=Life+Imitating+Art+or+russian+%26+nazi+terrorists+never+change