A Ukrainian church minister has been killed in a deadly Russian air strike on a church, in what has been described as an “attack on people of faith”. 

The House of Prayer Baptist Church, in the south eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, was hit by a bomb during an evening worship service on Thursday. 

Minister Ruslan Utyuzh was killed, according to former Ukrainian parliamentarian Ruslan Utyuzh. At least eight other people have been seriously injured. 

He told Baptist Standard that it was “a direct attack on the church in Ukraine, on people of faith who gathered peacefully to worship God".

The Embassy of Ukraine in the USA said the church is “house of prayer built by its community over many years”, being a “spiritual home, a place of faith, fellowship, and support” for more than 300 people. 

“This is a deliberate attack on people of faith, those who gathered peacefully to pray,” the embassy shared on social media. 

At the end of 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 50 priests had been killed in Russian strikes, with approximately 700 churches destroyed.