PROTESTANT CHURCHES BEING PUSHED OUT OF RUSSIAN OCCUPIED CRIMEA
Bishop Anatoly Kaliuzhny, pastor of the New Life protestant church, believes that the gradual expulsion of protestantism is going on in Crimea. He expressed this opinion during a briefing in Kiev on 15 April, the Krym.realii website reports.
The pastor said that pressure on the part of the occupying authority is being exerted on protestant congregations and individual ministers. "There is a great danger that if this continues, then protestant organizations will be outside the law and will not be able to function normally or to rent premises. That is, a very delicate method of expulsion of protestantism is proceeding," Kaliuzhny noted.
He added that according to information from protestants in Crimea, it has been reported that Russian secret services have begun individual processing of leaders of churches. A database has been created of leadership of churches and their contacts with believers on the territory of mainland Ukraine are being tracked.
"Protestants always have been alien for Russia; they are called pro-American. And unfortunately this is now being felt very, very seriously," Kaliuzhny emphasized.
The pastor also reported that at the present time in Crimea not a single protestant congregation has been reregistered in accordance with Russian legislation. (tr. by PDS, posted 16 April 2015)
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