Ukrainian Orthodox Church Wiped Out in Temporarily Occupied Crimea, Priest Forced to Flee

The Atesh partisan movement said it had recorded what it described as wide-ranging repression against religious communities in temporarily occupied Crimea, including pressure on multiple faith groups and the removal or destruction of some places of worship, according to Atesh on January 5.

In its statement, Atesh said the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s activity on the peninsula had effectively stopped, and said Russian occupation authorities had moved from administrative pressure to actions it described as the physical destruction of religious sites.

It said a church in Yevpatoria had been completely demolished, and that in Simferopol, the dome was removed from the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olha before the building was sealed.

Atesh added that the last Ukrainian priest had left Crimea after receiving repeated threats of forced mobilization, which it said ended the diocese’s official presence on the peninsula.

Atesh said Jehovah’s Witness communities  in Sevastopol and other cities were facing what it described as continuing intimidation, including illegal searches, threats to remove parental rights, and cases of forced psychiatric treatment.

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Meanwhile, it was reported that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry accused Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church of systematic repression in occupied territories, including detentions and damage to places of worship.

In contrast, the Russian Orthodox Church allegedly incorporated more than 1,600 parishes and multiple monasteries.

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