Russian police and military authorities have intensified raids on Christian worship in occupied eastern Ukraine, warning churches they could face repeated disruption unless they submit to Russian law.
“We were told if we don’t register, they’ll come to every service and stop it,” said pastor Vladimir Rytikov, after armed officers interrupted Sunday worship.
On 25 January, Russian police and military carried out coordinated raids on two Council of Churches Baptist congregations in Krasnodon, known in Ukraine as Sorokyne, in the occupied Luhansk region, according to Forum 18.
Some officers were reported to be carrying automatic firearms.
Pastor Rytikov said officers entered the prayer hall mid-service, ordered men to stand, recorded attendees’ identities and later took him to a police station for questioning over the church’s refusal to register under Russian law.
A second Baptist congregation in the nearby village of Teple was raided at the same time by officers from a police unit tasked with countering extremism.
The incidents formed part of a wider pattern. Forum 18 reported at least seven raids on worship meetings across occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions between July and December 2025. Five religious leaders were fined under Russia’s “anti-missionary” legislation, which penalises religious activity without state authorisation.
Council of Churches Baptists refuse registration as a matter of Christian conviction. Russian authorities, however, treat unregistered worship as illegal.
The United Nations has repeatedly criticised restrictions on religious freedom in occupied Ukrainian territory.
In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, UN secretary-general António Guterres said no one should be charged “simply for practising their religion”.
Rights groups, including the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said pressure on churches was part of a deliberate strategy to remove independent moral authority, with some clergy detained, abused or forced to flee.