Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly News Digest February 01-15
13.02.2026 – Jehovah’s Witness in the Moscow Region sentenced to four years in a penal colony. Сourt finds believer guilty of “extremism”
JW – On February 12, 2026, in Dmitrov, Andrey Lukin, 42, was sentenced to a real prison term for his faith, even though the case mentioned no victims, no witnesses, and no specified time or place of the alleged “crime”—something the defense repeatedly emphasized.
Lukin was taken into custody in April 2025. For the first time in their 15 years of marriage, he was separated from his wife, Yelena, for an extended period.
The couple stayed in touch mostly through letters, and occasionally they were able to speak during court hearings. Over time, they were granted phone calls and short visits.
Andrey supported his wife emotionally in every way he could—with the help of friends, he even arranged a small celebration of their wedding anniversary right in the courtroom.
13.02.2026 – Five more Jehovah’s Witnesses from Uyar detained
JW – On Monday, February 3, 2026, security forces detained Uyar residents Sergey Soroka, Ivan Starikov, and Aleksandr Murlin.
Two days later, they were placed in a pre-trial detention center. On Thursday, two more believers — Aleksandr and Zakhar Vakarev, a father and son — were detained at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. They had been declared wanted the day before.
Cases involving Jehovah’s Witnesses in Uyar are being handled by Aleksandr Tkachenko, an investigator with the local branch of the Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia. A few months earlier, she authorized the arrests of two other Uyar residents — Viktor Kononov and Aflatun Safarov.
11.02.2025 – Krasnodar residents continue to protest against the construction of a temple on the embankment
Sova – On February 10, 2026, it became known that the residents of Krasnodar continue to protest against the construction of a temple on the embankment in the Yubileyny microdistrict.
The city authorities refused opponents of construction to hold rallies in the square on the embankment several times in a row.
On February 10, the initiative group was refused to hold protests near the construction site on February 21 and 22. According to them, they received refusals for eight days in a row.
10.02.2026 – New searches in Crimea. Criminal cases opened against two women
JW- On February 5, 2026, searches and interrogations were carried out at the homes of two residents of Simferopol, 59-year-old Galina Privalova and 27-year-old Anna Moroz; both were made to sign a recognizance not to leave.
The searches began early in the morning.
At Galina’s home, the investigative actions lasted an hour and a half, and at Anna’s—about six hours. The security forces seized— including from Moroz’s parents, who live with her—mobile phones, photographs, personal notes, postcards, bank cards, data storage devices, and an e-book reader.
About ten people took part in the operation, including Senior Operative of the FSB Directorate, Major Latysheva, known for cases involving other Crimean Jehovah’s Witnesses.
10.02.2026 – Europe is waking up to Russian Orthodox Church’s role in Russia’s hybrid aggression, says expert
Risu – This perspective was articulated by Paweł Wróblewski, Head of the Laboratory of Prognostic Research on Religious Changes at the University of Wrocław in Poland, during an interview with RISU.
“We are witnessing a fundamental paradigm shift in the activities of European intelligence services. They are moving from reactive responses to isolated incidents to systematically dismantling Russia’s hybrid infrastructure, in which the Russian Orthodox Church plays a significant role.
The ‘grey areas’ where Russian special services can operate are diminishing,” noted Wróblewski.
10.01.2025 – Russia calls Patriarch Bartholomew “antichrist in a cassock”
Bitter Winter – On January 12, 2026, the press bureau of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) issued one of the more unusual communiqués ever to emanate from a state organ, lurid even by contemporary Russian standards, concerning His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
It is a document seemingly the product not of an intelligence agency’s communications office, but a soapbox ranter at Speakers’ Corner, and for that reason alone is well worth quoting in its entirety:
“Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople: ‘Antichrist in a Cassock’
09.02.2026 – An inspection of the church, whose pastor was previously convicted of preaching, has begun in Balashikha
Sova – On February 8, 2026, the pastor of the Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith “Holy Trinity Church” in Balashikha Roman Zhukov announced the beginning of a comprehensive inspection of the church.
Representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Rospotrebnadzor and other organizations arrived at the church building, where the Sunday service was held.
09.02.2026 – In Perm, the Ministry of Property revoked its permission to build a mosque in Verkhnyaya Kurye
Sova – On February 6, 2026, it became known that the Ministry of Property Management and Urban Planning of the Perm Territory revoked its permission to use the site in the Perm microdistrict of Verkhnyaya Kurya.
According to Tsargrad, this happened after the FSB intervention.
Recall that local residents opposed the construction of a mosque in this area with the support of representatives of right-wing radical organizations. Opponents of construction want to see social infrastructure facilities on this site, and also fear an influx of migrants.
04.02.2026 – The Church has fallen: Chapnin declares Moscow patriarchate “no longer christian”
Bitter Winter – In an interview of January 20 that “Bitter Winter” readers will recognize as both bold and overdue, Sergei Chapnin delivers a harsh critique of the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Once a senior insider, serving as the editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, deputy chief editor of the Church Herald, lecturer at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University, and secretary of the Inter-Conciliar Board, Chapnin now shares his views from exile as the director of communications at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University in New York. His statements reflect deep experience and feelings of betrayal.
03.02.2026 – In Rostov-on-Don, the prosecutor’s office wants to liquidate the community of “unregistered” Baptists
Sova – On February 1, 2026, it became known that the prosecutor of the Kirovsky district of Rostov-on-Don appealed to the court with a demand to ban the activities of the community of the International Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists (MSC EHB) in Rostov.
The reason for applying to the court was the violations revealed during the inspection, in particular, the lack of notification of the beginning of the activities of the religious group. Community leaders do not consider it possible to notify state bodies, as they fundamentally refuse state registration.
02.02.2026 – One church unsealed, others face banning suits
Forum 18 – In November 2025, Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, National Guard troops, prosecutor’s office and fire service officials inspected a Council of Churches Baptist church in Rostov’s Kirov District.
In December 2025, a Magistrate’s Court fined Pastor Oleg Volkov for “unlawful missionary activity”. Prosecutors then sought to ban the church because it refuses to undergo state registration.
They did not respond to Forum 18 as to why they are doing this. Courts have so far banned the activities of at least ten Council of Churches communities, largely in Krasnodar Region.
Prosecutors in Rostov-in-Don in southern European Russia are seeking to have the activities of a Council of Churches Baptist church banned because of its refusal to undergo any form of state registration.
In December 2025, a court in Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East ordered another Baptist church to submit notification of its activities to local Justice Ministry authorities within two months, but did not impose a ban. Prosecutors had earlier dropped their demand that the church register as a legal entity.
13.02.2026 – Jehovah’s Witness in the Moscow Region sentenced to four years in a penal colony. Сourt finds believer guilty of “extremism”
JW – On February 12, 2026, in Dmitrov, Andrey Lukin, 42, was sentenced to a real prison term for his faith, even though the case mentioned no victims, no witnesses, and no specified time or place of the alleged “crime”—something the defense repeatedly emphasized.
Lukin was taken into custody in April 2025. For the first time in their 15 years of marriage, he was separated from his wife, Yelena, for an extended period.
The couple stayed in touch mostly through letters, and occasionally they were able to speak during court hearings. Over time, they were granted phone calls and short visits.
Andrey supported his wife emotionally in every way he could—with the help of friends, he even arranged a small celebration of their wedding anniversary right in the courtroom.
13.02.2026 – Five more Jehovah’s Witnesses from Uyar detained
JW – On Monday, February 3, 2026, security forces detained Uyar residents Sergey Soroka, Ivan Starikov, and Aleksandr Murlin.
Two days later, they were placed in a pre-trial detention center. On Thursday, two more believers — Aleksandr and Zakhar Vakarev, a father and son — were detained at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. They had been declared wanted the day before.
Cases involving Jehovah’s Witnesses in Uyar are being handled by Aleksandr Tkachenko, an investigator with the local branch of the Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia. A few months earlier, she authorized the arrests of two other Uyar residents — Viktor Kononov and Aflatun Safarov.
11.02.2025 – Krasnodar residents continue to protest against the construction of a temple on the embankment
Sova – On February 10, 2026, it became known that the residents of Krasnodar continue to protest against the construction of a temple on the embankment in the Yubileyny microdistrict.
The city authorities refused opponents of construction to hold rallies in the square on the embankment several times in a row.
On February 10, the initiative group was refused to hold protests near the construction site on February 21 and 22. According to them, they received refusals for eight days in a row.
10.02.2026 – New searches in Crimea. Criminal cases opened against two women
JW- On February 5, 2026, searches and interrogations were carried out at the homes of two residents of Simferopol, 59-year-old Galina Privalova and 27-year-old Anna Moroz; both were made to sign a recognizance not to leave.
The searches began early in the morning.
At Galina’s home, the investigative actions lasted an hour and a half, and at Anna’s—about six hours. The security forces seized— including from Moroz’s parents, who live with her—mobile phones, photographs, personal notes, postcards, bank cards, data storage devices, and an e-book reader.
About ten people took part in the operation, including Senior Operative of the FSB Directorate, Major Latysheva, known for cases involving other Crimean Jehovah’s Witnesses.
10.02.2026 – Europe is waking up to Russian Orthodox Church’s role in Russia’s hybrid aggression, says expert
Risu – This perspective was articulated by Paweł Wróblewski, Head of the Laboratory of Prognostic Research on Religious Changes at the University of Wrocław in Poland, during an interview with RISU.
“We are witnessing a fundamental paradigm shift in the activities of European intelligence services. They are moving from reactive responses to isolated incidents to systematically dismantling Russia’s hybrid infrastructure, in which the Russian Orthodox Church plays a significant role.
The ‘grey areas’ where Russian special services can operate are diminishing,” noted Wróblewski.
10.01.2025 – Russia calls Patriarch Bartholomew “antichrist in a cassock”
Bitter Winter – On January 12, 2026, the press bureau of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) issued one of the more unusual communiqués ever to emanate from a state organ, lurid even by contemporary Russian standards, concerning His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
It is a document seemingly the product not of an intelligence agency’s communications office, but a soapbox ranter at Speakers’ Corner, and for that reason alone is well worth quoting in its entirety:
“Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople: ‘Antichrist in a Cassock’
09.02.2026 – An inspection of the church, whose pastor was previously convicted of preaching, has begun in Balashikha
Sova – On February 8, 2026, the pastor of the Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith “Holy Trinity Church” in Balashikha Roman Zhukov announced the beginning of a comprehensive inspection of the church.
Representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Rospotrebnadzor and other organizations arrived at the church building, where the Sunday service was held.
09.02.2026 – In Perm, the Ministry of Property revoked its permission to build a mosque in Verkhnyaya Kurye
Sova – On February 6, 2026, it became known that the Ministry of Property Management and Urban Planning of the Perm Territory revoked its permission to use the site in the Perm microdistrict of Verkhnyaya Kurya.
According to Tsargrad, this happened after the FSB intervention.
Recall that local residents opposed the construction of a mosque in this area with the support of representatives of right-wing radical organizations. Opponents of construction want to see social infrastructure facilities on this site, and also fear an influx of migrants.
04.02.2026 – The Church has fallen: Chapnin declares Moscow patriarchate “no longer christian”
Bitter Winter – In an interview of January 20 that “Bitter Winter” readers will recognize as both bold and overdue, Sergei Chapnin delivers a harsh critique of the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Once a senior insider, serving as the editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, deputy chief editor of the Church Herald, lecturer at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University, and secretary of the Inter-Conciliar Board, Chapnin now shares his views from exile as the director of communications at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University in New York. His statements reflect deep experience and feelings of betrayal.
03.02.2026 – In Rostov-on-Don, the prosecutor’s office wants to liquidate the community of “unregistered” Baptists
Sova – On February 1, 2026, it became known that the prosecutor of the Kirovsky district of Rostov-on-Don appealed to the court with a demand to ban the activities of the community of the International Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists (MSC EHB) in Rostov.
The reason for applying to the court was the violations revealed during the inspection, in particular, the lack of notification of the beginning of the activities of the religious group. Community leaders do not consider it possible to notify state bodies, as they fundamentally refuse state registration.
02.02.2026 – One church unsealed, others face banning suits
Forum 18 – In November 2025, Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, National Guard troops, prosecutor’s office and fire service officials inspected a Council of Churches Baptist church in Rostov’s Kirov District.
In December 2025, a Magistrate’s Court fined Pastor Oleg Volkov for “unlawful missionary activity”. Prosecutors then sought to ban the church because it refuses to undergo state registration.
They did not respond to Forum 18 as to why they are doing this. Courts have so far banned the activities of at least ten Council of Churches communities, largely in Krasnodar Region.
Prosecutors in Rostov-in-Don in southern European Russia are seeking to have the activities of a Council of Churches Baptist church banned because of its refusal to undergo any form of state registration.
In December 2025, a court in Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East ordered another Baptist church to submit notification of its activities to local Justice Ministry authorities within two months, but did not impose a ban. Prosecutors had earlier dropped their demand that the church register as a legal entity.
