Russia's religious persecution campaign in Ukraine backed by Orthodox Church, David Curry warns

Russia is conducting a religious persecution campaign in occupied Ukraine that has led to attacks on hundreds of churches with the backing of leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church, warns prominent international religious freedom advocate David Curry.

Curry, the head of the nonprofit watchdog group Global Christian Relief, who also serves as a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, highlighted the various instances of religious persecution in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

These include attacks against churches and the targeting of worship leaders. 

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Curry, who for years headed the U.S. branch of Open Doors, said that many leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church believe that the country is "divinely inspired" to take the land, a mindset they use to justify the targeting of pastors and churches.

"It's a sad illustration of what has happened too often throughout history," Curry said. "My perspective and [Global Christian Relief's] perspective is that churches should be sacred, and people of faith should be able to practice their faith peacefully. And they shouldn't be targeted because they're from a religious minority or because they are from a different denomination or tribe within the Christian faith."

Headlines were made in May after Russian soldiers seized the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity in Mariupol. In a report last month, Global Christian Relief stated that after expelling the clergy from the church, 30 troops remained at the building, taking advantage of its proximity to occupied residential buildings.

Data shared at the Summit on International Religious Freedom by the Ukrainian Institute for Religious Freedom in late January suggested that nearly 500 religious buildings, theological institutions and sacred places were wholly destroyed, damaged or looted by the Russian military since the invasion began. 

Russia has also murdered at least 26 religious leaders while torturing and imprisoning others, Dmytro Vovk from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said in March during a USCIRF hearing. 

Curry disclosed that he had spoken with several leaders within the Russian Orthodox Church and several Ukrainian leaders.

"We're talking to Christian leaders on both sides," the Global Christian Relief CEO said. "And I would love to see that kind of coming together in brotherhood, to try and pray together, get to know each other, trying to build some trust between the leadership of these various groups."

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarch Kirill, has expressed support for the war in several sermons calling for Russians to "rally around" the authorities. He accused "enemies" of attempting to destroy the unity between Russia and Ukraine. Russian clergy members who disagreed with the church patriarch and spoke out against the war have faced fines or imprisonment. 

Additionally, leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church view the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as illegitimate, giving an additional pretext for permitting the invasion, Global Christian Relief warns. In the last several years, hundreds of churches left the Russian Orthodox Church and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, independent of the Moscow patriarch. 

After speaking with leaders from the Russian Orthodox Church, although he could not reveal their names, Curry stressed that they understand the seriousness of religious persecution, even if their views on the situation do not align with his. 

"I still think that it's worth getting Christian leaders in Ukraine and Christian leaders in Russia together in some neutral spot to pray together and to try to build some bonds in the midst of this war," he said. 

Regarding his interactions with U.S. government officials, Cury said he has spoken with Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the issue. 

The last time Curry spoke with Blinken was in October, although many of those conversations occurred through Curry's role at USCIRF. He said that his organization has also called for the international court system to consider these crimes of religious persecution.

Curry said faith leaders have a responsibility to cross boundaries within their communities and stressed that establishing relationships with others makes them more likely to listen to the person communicating with them. 

"And there are many of these sorts of situations where people in Evangelical circles don't understand, don't communicate, don't build relationships with people out of Orthodox contacts, and vice versa," he said. "And that's where people who are leaders in faith communities need to build relationships because, in a crisis, you need to know each other."

The U.S. State Department identifies Russia as a country of particular concern for its violations of religious freedom, imposing economic sanctions and tariffs.