In Russian-Occupied Ukraine, You’re Free to Worship Vladimir Putin

Excerpt

In Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, a once diverse and free religious ecosystem is being filtered into one faith: the cult of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Prior to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kherson region had one of the highest levels of religious pluralism in the country, boasting more than 38 faiths across 990 religious organizations. In just four years, the number of registered religious organizations has plummeted to 175. Of those remaining, 86 percent are registered to the Kremlin-aligned Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). 

Putin’s subjugation of religious freedom is a deliberate attempt to turn Christian belief into divine legitimacy for his illegal invasion. And Moscow’s weapon of choice in this unholy war is an unassuming bureaucratic tool: registration. 

In occupied Ukraine, any place of worship must re-register itself under Russian law to own or lease property, hold public worship, conduct missionary activity, or open bank accounts. Churches that have continued to operate while unregistered have faced fines, raids, forced closure, and even arrests and executions by Russian occupiers. 

Samuel Ben-Ur is a research analyst focusing on the Middle East at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Emily Hester is a research analyst with FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, focusing on Russian influence operations and the intersection of emerging technology and national security.