Russian officials recently ordered a Ukrainian pastor to leave the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, claiming he led church services without their permission. 

Vladimir Rytikov, 66, was given two weeks’ notice, starting March 21, to leave the region. Russian authorities refused to explain the reason for his eviction or provide a copy of the official documents. 

When Rytikov asked where he should go, the Russians replied, “Maybe to Poland.” After asking, “What if I don’t go anywhere?” Officials responded, “We’ll punish you,” and promised to remove him by force. 

The next day, officials demanded that Rytikov hand over his residence permit so they could void it, but he refused. This came 10 days after they confronted him about holding services at the church without the government’s approval. At that time, he and his wife prayed and stood their ground — they would not leave the community he had faithfully pastored for 30 years. 

“The Lord has appointed me to serve in Krasnodon,” Rytikov said. 

Russian officials have illegally occupied about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory since March 2025, subjecting the conquered regions to their laws. In August 2025, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres remarked on the increasing religious intolerance in Russian-occupied Ukraine. 

“No individual should be criminally charged or detained simply for practicing their religion, including in the forms of collective worship and proselytizing, in accordance with international human rights law,” Guterres said. “Religious groups in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine should enjoy access to their places of worship and be able to gather freely for prayer and other religious practices.” 

Rytikov leads a church affiliated with the Council of Churches Baptists, a coalition of churches that does not seek official registration in any country. Russian authorities have targeted several other ministers in recent years, fining them for “illegal missionary activity.” 

According to a report published earlier this year by Mission Eurasia, a parachurch ministry dedicated to equipping churches in and around Ukraine, Russian forces have damaged or destroyed at least 737 religious buildings since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

While the majority were churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious sites were attacked as well. Of the 737 buildings affected, about 450 were Baptist churches. Baptists, while the largest evangelical population in Ukraine, represent only 1% to 2% of the overall population, suggesting that Russian forces may be deliberately targeting Baptists in their violent campaign across Ukraine.

Now, Rytikov is facing exile from his country, though authorities have not canceled his wife Lyudmila’s residence permit. Though he had lived in Krasnodon his whole life, Rytikov must now find a new community for ministry outside of Ukraine. 

“I was born here and lived for almost 67 years, and now I’m being kicked out,” he told Forum18, 

Story by Bella Agnello 

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