JOHN WHITE

Many individuals were interviewed for this article in recent months, but in order to protect their safety—as well as that of those around them—no names have been included.

Since war with Russia began in 2014, there has been a huge flow of people out of the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk [Russian: Lugansk] regions in eastern Ukraine. These territories also have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of Protestant Evangelicals, both churches and individual believers. In the occupied part of Luhansk region, the number of churches in the Evangelical Christian-Baptist Union has dropped from 50 to 22. The number of members in those churches has fallen from 2,500 to 1,200, with a continued fall expected. Lacking exact statistics for the occupied Donetsk church had its building confiscated by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in August 2014. The church now appears to have left Donetsk completely and relocated to Kyiv.2 

Included in these numbers is the loss of large numbers of pastors, church leaders, and preachers. Those in congregations left behind often have joined together under one or more of the remaining leaders. Many young people—including young families—have left the occupied regions as well, meaning that there is little hope for the next generation of Evangelical pastors and ministers. Those pastors and active ministers who remain  region, one pastor suggested that large Baptist churches of 800- 1,000 are now 100-150 people, while smaller churches that were formerly 200 strong now have just 30 people.

 Similarly, the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church has estimated that the number of its churches in occupied Ukraine (also including Crimea) has decreased by 20 percent, and the number of individual believers by more than 60 percent.1 In Donetsk city, the large and influential Word of Life Charismatic feel a heavy burden, both spiritually and physically, to minister to their congregations and to the many people in tremendous need. 

The outflow of people continues to this day, as some Evangelical churches have been reduced to “two to three older people, generally women.” The drop in the number of Evangelical believers is therefore significant, and is felt throughout the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.

Church re-registration 

The registration documents that were issued to religious organizations by the independent Ukrainian authorities prior to March 2014 are no longer valid, and all Protestant Evangelical churches have been asked to re-register with the authorities of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic or Luhansk People’s Republic. In the latter case—despite working with lawyers and preparing many documents—no Evangelical church has been able to register successfully over the past seven years. As one minister lamented, “We try to obey their laws, but up to this point, nothing we have tried has worked to receive registration. In point of fact, we have become illegal.” 

Also in Luhansk, police often come to Evangelical church buildings—none of which are registered—and very respectfully ask believers not to break the law by meeting there. Instead, the people are encouraged to meet in private homes and apartments. The police themselves explain that they are just following orders from above. 

Maksym Vasin, director of the Kyiv-based Institute for Religious Freedom, believes that the authorities of the Luhansk People’s Republic have more sinister intentions by forcing Evangelical churches to go through re-registration. He “suspects that the information gathered about Evangelical communities and their members may be used for further persecution.”3 

October 2021 is the final deadline for Evangelical churches to re-register in the Luhansk People’s Republic. If a church is not re-registered by then, all of the church’s property— including the building—will be considered “ownerless” and nationalized. 

In the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic, by contrast, many churches have been able to re-register with the new authorities successfully, and these churches are allowed to meet freely. Yet there are still a number of churches in the region that have not been able to re-register. These unregistered churches may be considered “extremist organizations,” and they have faced direct government opposition in recent years.

There have been cases in which typically unregistered churches have had their gas, electricity, and water turned off by the local authorities. Many churches are only able to hold services by using a gas-run electric generator. Sometimes when services are held, the people decide to lock the door after for holding services there. It is important to be careful about what is said over the telephone, on the Internet—including on social media, and even in face-to-face conversations. It is especially important to avoid talking about protest or politics if you wish to avoid an invitation to the prosecutor’s office! 

There are limits on ministries, evangelism, and preaching the Gospel outside the walls of a church. To speak openly of one’s faith in Christ at work, for example, is not allowed. Children’s ministry is forbidden. Christian literature cannot be distributed. 

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are already forbidden by law in the Luhansk People’s Republic (as they are in Russia), and it looks as if Evangelical churches may be forbidden in the same way soon. However, this may prove to be an academic distinction. As one Evangelical minister comments, “from a legal standpoint we have the right to be registered and to conduct services, but in real life, it’s not possible.” 

On 26 July 2018 the state security ministry of the Luhansk People’s Republic declared the Evangelical ChristianBaptist Union an “extremist organization” and forbade it from further operation on its territory. Although this declaration does not carry legal weight—legally, only a judge can make such a decision—all Evangelical Christian-Baptist Union pastors in the occupied Luhansk region feel the threat of being guilty of working with an “extremist organization.” 

One minister described the overall atmosphere as the “return of the spirit of the Soviet period. This can be seen and felt everywhere—in advertisements, songs, news, etc. Since the war started, a curfew has been imposed at night as well.” 

Outside support

Beginning in 2014, ministers from Russian Evangelical churches visited the occupied territory with material help from their congregations. Specifically, believers from the Evangelical Christian-Baptist Union of Rostov-on-Don region greatly aided many churches in the occupied regions, including by offering food to those in need. Pastors, ministers, and groups of believers all visited. In addition, there was much aid from Russian individuals and volunteers. 

This support made a great difference. Unfortunately, with the coming of COVID-19 and the consequent quarantines that have been imposed, no one from the Russian churches has been able to come and offer further aid to Evangelical churches in the occupied territories for quite some time. 

In February 2021 some Russian Pentecostal churches were able finally to send aid, for the first time in over a year. Way of Light—a Russian humanitarian foundation—has continued to provide support to Evangelical churches in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions since March 2015.5 

Some aid has come from Evangelical Christians on the Ukrainian side of the conflict as well. Ukrainian brothers and sisters have also distributed food and other needed products. However, this help became more difficult to provide once official passes were required to cross through checkpoints at the front lines of the conflict, since humanitarian aid to the occupied territories is forbidden by the Ukrainian authorities. 

Evangelical churches in the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions now have little connection with churches in independent Ukraine, and their connection with Russian churches has ended as well, since Russians cannot visit due to COVID restrictions. Evangelicals in the separatist areas still have the ability to leave through Russia and to travel into independent Ukraine from there, however. 

Day-to-day challenges

Most people with possibilities to leave the separatist areas have already done so. Those who have stayed include people with government-paid positions in education, hospitals, and so on, as well as retirees dependent upon government pensions. 

There is almost no work available except for fighting as a soldier for the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The factories are closed, and many businesses also do not function. Those that are still working tend to offer low salaries, and many people are not paid on time. Both the war and sanctions by Ukraine are depressing the economy, and it is difficult to buy or sell wares. A passport from either the Donetsk or Luhansk People’s Republics is required in order to work at a company in the occupied territories, and many people do not want to give up their Ukrainian passport in order to get one. 

Many who are eligible for a government pension try to receive it from both the Ukrainian and rebel authorities—that makes it more possible to live. There is no insurance of any kind, not even for cars. In case of an accident, one has to figure out what to do on one’s own. No one has the right to speak up against the government in order to make a complaint. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant problem in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, just as in the rest of the world. However, it is very difficult to get tested for the virus, and medicines are generally in short supply and very expensive. Some vaccinations from Russia have been made available. Pandemic restrictions mean that it is now extremely difficult to travel regularly into and out of the occupied regions. This has cut people off from family, friends, and business opportunities. It is easy to believe that occupied Donetsk and Luhansk are cut off and forgotten by the outside world. 

All these economic and social problems are hurting local Evangelical churches as well. Not only has it become difficult for them to receive and pass on humanitarian aid, there are also very few people left with resources to help support the church and those in need. Since many church members are older, economic and health problems are felt especially keenly. Being cut off from churches in Ukraine and Russia also hurts the Evangelical church spiritually and socially. 

Discouragement in ministry 

Over the past seven years, both the enthusiasm for and the results from ministry have waned in separatist eastern Ukraine. Especially in the early years, there were many serious and immediate humanitarian needs. People had no work and needed food, for example, while hospitals needed various kinds of help, from medicine to food. Although there were rules against it, Evangelical churches were able to help many of those in need. As a result, many people became interested in the Gospel and started attending churches. 

Now, people are afraid to share the Gospel, and so Evangelical churches have stopped growing. Most social ministry of Evangelicals to meet humanitarian needs came to an end around 2016. The small amount of social ministry that does continue sees very little spiritual fruit. As one minister put it, “The Apostle Peter preached and 5,000 repented. Today, 5,000 preach and only one repents.” Everyone in ministry seems discouraged, both by the laws against it and by the diminishing results. Consequently, ever fewer people are actively involved in ministry outside of their church buildings. A few baptisms do continue, however. 

Before the war, there used to be more local cooperation and relationships between different Evangelical denominations. Those connections are now gone: the Baptists meet together as one denominational group, while the Pentecostals meet separately. 

The sadness and discouragement that ministers in the occupied territories are feeling are palpable. Yet many of these ministers carry on, remembering God’s faithfulness under similar circumstances in Soviet times. 

Prayers requested

 Above all, everyone prays for peace. Evangelicals in separatist eastern Ukraine would love to see all the checkpoints removed and freedom of religion restored. All of the restrictions on people’s lives have been added artificially, and could be removed easily if the authorities chose. 

Another area for prayer is the restoration of connections between Evangelicals in the occupied regions and churches in there were able to provide before the pandemic was significant, and it is needed again. It is a positive sign that some Russian Pentecostal believers were able to resume aid in early 2021. Ministers and pastors in the occupied territories especially need prayers for wisdom and strength as they face significant physical and spiritual burdens in supporting their congregations and helping those in need. Furthermore, there is a great need for prayer for the next generation in Donetsk and Luhansk. Who will lead churches, share the Gospel, and minister to people’s needs in the years to come? 

Notes: 

1. [In Ukrainian] Anatolii Yakobchuk, “V okupovanomu Krymu ta Donbasi pohrishuiet’sia stanovishche viruiuchikh,” Slovo pro Slovo, 2 July 2021, https://slovoproslovo.info/v-okupovanomukrymu-ta-donbasi-pohrishuetsya-stanovysche-viruyuchyh/.
2.  “Representatives of the DNR (Donetsk National Republic) took the building of the ‘Word of Life’ church in Donetsk,” 14 August 2014, http://wolua.org/en/church-life/predstavitelidnr-zabrali-zdanie-tserkvi-slovo-zhizni-v-donetske.html; [In Ukrainian] “Bohosluzhinnia v m. Kyievi prokhodiat’ za adresoiu,” http://wolua.org/ua/announcements/meeting-inkiev.html.
3. Halya Coynash, “Russian controlled ‘Luhansk republic’ bans all Protestant churches,” Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, 17 October 2018, https://khpg.org/en/1539727352.
4.  Yakobchuk, op. Cit.
5.  [In Russian] “Prodolzhaem pomoshch’ nuzhdaiushchimsia na Donbasse! Itogi proekta #Dobropensiia,” 30 December 2020, https://www.cef.ru/infoblock/greetings/letter/article/1470175. Way of Light’s website may be found at: www.svetlyput.ru/.

Dr. John White teaches missiology and urban missions at Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary, Kyiv, Ukraine. He formerly taught missiology at Donetsk Christian University.