Korean Missionary Faces 17-Year Imprisonment in RussiaAugust 17, 2026 — The trial of Korean missionary Park Tae-Yeon, 69, resumed recently in Russia. Missionary Park was arrested in January 2026, one week before she was due to return to South Korea...
Russian Missile Kills Beloved Christian Family in UkraineAugust 7, 2026 — In the early hours of the morning of July 30, Russia launched an attack on a village on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih, a large industrial city in Ukraine. In...
EU Deepens Ties with Armenia During a Tense Moment for Religious FreedomJuly 7, 2026 — The European Union announced new economic assistance and expanded market access for Armenia, signaling deepening ties with the South Caucasus nation as it faces growing economic pressure from Russia. During...
Russia Labels Pastor a TerroristJune 5, 2026 — As of May 28, Baptist pastor Yuri Sipko, 74, is considered a terrorist and extremist on Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service. On the website, it reads, “SIPKO, Yury Kirillovich,...
Russian Missionaries ArrestedMay 8, 2026 — On April 29, four Christians were fined by the peace court of the Kirovsky district of Kazan, Russia, for “illegal missionary work.” They were each fined 15,000 Russian rubles (about...
Preacher Found Dead in Russian Prison April 23, 2026 — A blogger and preacher, known to the internet as Vegan Christ-Lover of God, died this month while in Russian custody. Khristolyub Bozhiy, 43, ran a blog and YouTube channel where he spoke about religion, veganism, and the war in...
Ukrainian Pastor Exiled from Russian-Controlled Region March 27, 2026 — 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...
Hundreds of Churches Destroyed by Russian Forces in UkraineMarch 6, 2026 — 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...
Russia’s Persecution of Ukrainian Churches Continues as War Enters Fifth YearFebruary 24, 2026 — As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its fifth year this week, religious communities in Russian-occupied territories face increasing pressure, harassment, and violence. Reports from church leaders and human rights groups indicate that...
Report Reveals Top Global Christian PersecutorsJanuary 30, 2026 — In a January 2026 report, the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) detailed some of the world’s top perpetrators of violence against Christians across five continents. The group, with the...
Russia Continues Crackdown on Unregistered Baptist ChurchesNovember 10, 2025 — Russian courts banned three more Baptist churches in October for failing to register with the government, according to the religious freedom watchdog Forum 18. These churches, located in the southern...
Pastor Sentenced to Labor Camp for Sermon Opposing Russia’s War in Ukraine September 5, 2025 — 9/5/2025 Russia (International Christian Concern) — On Sept. 3, Nikolay Romanyuk, 63, was found guilty of making “Public calls to implement activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation,”...
Christians in Former-Soviet Central Asian Nations Increasingly Face PersecutionJune 12, 2025 — 6/12/2025 Central Asia (International Christian Concern) — Formerly part of the USSR, the five “stan” countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — have a mix of ex-Soviet authoritarianism...
Persecution of Ukrainian Christians: From Within and Without March 10, 2025 — By Linda Burkle, Ph.D., ICC Fellow In the summer of 2023, I traveled to Ukraine with a disaster response team. Our host was a YWAM (Youth With A Mission)(1) base...
Russia: Where the Government Controls, Represses the ChurchNovember 27, 2024 — 11/27/2024 Russia (International Christian Concern) — Harsh communist controls on society and an aggressive military campaign against Ukraine have led to increased crackdowns on religious freedom in areas of Russian...
Russian Navy Drills in Myanmar as Ethnoreligious Minorities Continue to Suffer October 22, 2024 — 10/22/2024 Myanmar (International Christian Concern) — News this week that four Russian warships and a logistics vessel arrived in Yangon for joint exercises with the Myanmar military comes as ethnoreligious...
