{"id":54580,"date":"2025-06-17T16:25:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T07:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=54580"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:37:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T07:37:13","slug":"vomk-report-353","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2025\/06\/17\/vomk-report-353\/","title":{"rendered":"RUSSIA: FOUR CHURCHES SHUT IN MAY BY OFFICIALS FOR REFUSING GOVERNMENT REGISTRATION"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54577″ img_size=”full” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”UPDATE: At the time of publication, an additional church, in Krasnodon, in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, reported that authorities approached them after their worship service on June 8, demanding to see the church’s registration. However, the church indicated that it is, and intends to remain, unregistered. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left|color:%23111111″ google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”” el_class=”headline”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Four Protestant churches experienc<\/span>ed<\/span> harassment <\/span>in May <\/span>by officials in <\/span>Russia or <\/span>areas now under Russian control, <\/span>according to persecution ministry <\/span>Voice of the Martyrs Korea.<\/span> According to Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr<\/span>.<\/span> Hyun Sook Foley, the common theme<\/span> was the insistence by authorities that the church\u2019s <\/span>houses of <\/span>worship would be sealed up and prohibited from use until church leaders provided proof of government registration.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

\u201cA <\/span>new generation of <\/span>Russian <\/span>prosecutors and authorities are clamping down on the most basic forms of evangelical Protestant religious activity<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>A<\/span>uthorities <\/span>are <\/span>insisting that if a church is not registered with the government, it is operating illegally.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]The four churches shut by officials in May <\/span>were located in<\/span> Kurganinsk<\/span> in <\/span>Krasnodar Krai<\/span>, in southwestern Russia near Georgia; in Sochi, also in Krasnodar Krai; in Tula, <\/span>120 km<\/span> south of Moscow; and in the self-proclaimed <\/span>Luhansk People’s Republic<\/span> in Russia-controlled Eastern Ukraine.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54570″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]According to Representative Foley, the church in <\/span>Kurganinsk<\/span> has experienced difficulties with authorities since September <\/span>2024<\/span>. \u201cThe church there is an unregistered Baptist church, which means that not registering the church with <\/span>authorities is an important part of the church\u2019s beliefs,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cIn <\/span>September 2024, the <\/span>Kurganinsk<\/span> District Court <\/span>ruled that the church\u2019s activities had to cease until the church <\/span>fil<\/span>ed what is called a \u2018<\/span>notice of commencement of activities of a religious group<\/span>\u2019 with <\/span>the\u00a0<\/span> government<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> Ministry of Justice Office of the Krasnodar Region.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says that the church appealed the ruling<\/span>, first<\/span> in the <\/span>Kurganinsk<\/span> court, then in <\/span>an appeals court, and finally in a cassation court<\/span> (a high-level Russian appeals court)<\/span>, but <\/span>the appeals were denied.<\/span> Then on May 16, law enforcement officers from three agencies arrived at the church\u2019s house of worship and demanded that church members leave the building <\/span>immediately<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe officers gave the church an inventory report and sealed the doors,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cThe officers told the church members that the house of worship would remain sealed until the church could give the officers government registration documents.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54576″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”A Russian police officer records video while members of an unregistered church in Kurganinsk look on, on May 16. (Photo: International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Telegram channel)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says that <\/span>on May 19, 2025, <\/span>the church\u2019s pastor, <\/span>Alexander Alexandrovich<\/span>,<\/span> was <\/span>warned that if he could face criminal penalties if the church continues to refuse to register<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]A similar situation<\/span> unfolded in an unregistered church in Sochi, <\/span>300 km<\/span> away, in May, according to Representative Foley. \u201cA man identifying himself as a member of the National Security Service entered the church<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s house of worship<\/span> during the worship service with uniformed police officers and someone he identified as being from the prosecutors\u2019 office,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cHe asked who the <\/span>elder<\/span> was and demanded that he show \u2018the <\/span>documentation<\/span>\u2019,<\/span> meaning the <\/span>church\u2019s<\/span> government registration paperwork. A church elder noted it was a private residence, but the man insisted it was a public space, while police recorded videos of the <\/span>worship area <\/span>and the attendees.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54575″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”In Sochi, the man in a red t-shirt identified himself as a member of the National Security Service and entered into the church during the worship service with uniformed police officers and demanded that the church show \u201cthe documentation\u201d, meaning its government registration paperwork. (Photo: International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Telegram channel)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]On May 18, In Tula, a city <\/span>120 km<\/span> south of Moscow, two plain clothes visitors attended the morning worship service at the church there and then returned for the evening service, recording <\/span>their visits <\/span>on video. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>At the evening service, church members learned these were <\/span>officers from the criminal investigation department<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Then at the end of the service<\/span>, <\/span>a police <\/span>officer<\/span> and two <\/span>agents entered the building. They <\/span>said they had received a report that <\/span>\u2018<\/span>suspicious <\/span>individuals<\/span>\u2019<\/span> were gathering <\/span>there. They asked questions like: <\/span>Why are services being held without registration?<\/span> Who preached from the pulpit?<\/span> And they showed the video recordings from the visitors as a kind of evidence.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Then on May 30, <\/span>authorities <\/span>in Luhansk, in Russia-controlled Eastern Ukraine, entered the house of worship of a church meeting on <\/span>Chernomorskaya<\/span> Street<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>The police officer said he was acting on orders from the FSB to seal the church building and gather information,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> says Representative Foley.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54574″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Police show a representative from the church in Tula video \u201cevidence\u201d gathered by visitors attending the church worship service that morning. (Photo: International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Telegram channel)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says that dealing with issues of registration is nothing new for churches in the region. \u201cSince <\/span>2014, <\/span>when so-called People\u2019s Republics were declared in Donetsk and Luhansk, Protestant churches have been required to register with authorities, and to produce copies of their registration upon request,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cOne church leader told us that worship s<\/span>ervices are held <\/span>only where and when officials tolerate them<\/span>.<\/span> The leader told us, \u2018[Officials]<\/span> present everything Protestant as American<\/span>–<\/span>planted, and only the ROC MP <\/span>[<\/span>Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate<\/span>]<\/span> has the right to operate<\/span>\u2019<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Voice of the Martyrs Korea <\/span>operates<\/span> \u201c<\/span><\/span>\u0413\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441<\/span> \u043c\u0443\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0432<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u201d,<\/span> a Russian language edition of its popular Facebook page on Christian persecution. Representative Foley says the organization also <\/span>maintains<\/span> private channels of communication with Christians and churches <\/span>in Russia and Russian-controlled areas who are experiencing persecution.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54573″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Authorities in Krasnodon, in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, question church members. (Photo: International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Telegram channel)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says that leaders of unregistered churches across Russia and Russia-controlled areas are asking for prayer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Individuals interested in learning more about Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s work with persecuted Russian language believers can visit <\/span><\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/project\/russia-ministry\/<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”54577″ img_size=”full” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”UPDATE: At the time of publication, an additional church, in Krasnodon, in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, reported that authorities approached them after their worship service …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":54579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54580"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54583,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54580\/revisions\/54583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}