Courts in seven Russian regions have now banned the activities of 12 congregations belonging to the Council of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (CCECB). The believers refuse on principle to register with the state or notify the authorities, a position they have maintained since Soviet times.

This was reported by the Christians Against War resource, citing the Norwegian human rights organisation Forum 18.

The authorities describe collective prayers, singing and preaching using the Bible as “illegal missionary activity.” In Saransk, prosecutors declared that the failure to provide notification posed a threat to public order and national security, and a court banned the congregation’s activities. The inspection was preceded by surveillance by officers from the Centre for Combating Extremism and actions by the FSB.

At the same time, Russia’s Supreme Court previously clarified that failure to provide notification alone cannot constitute grounds for banning a religious group. In Rostov-on-Don, one court banned a congregation, while another refused to suspend worship services and merely ordered the believers to notify the Ministry of Justice. Despite the bans, the congregations continue to meet, facing the threat of fines and the sealing of their houses of prayer.

Earlier, we reported that since February 2022, religious communities in Russia have faced pressure. Priests have been defrocked for prayers for peace, ecclesiastical and secular courts have complemented each other’s actions, while the state and church structures have jointly punished those who refuse to justify the war.

As LF reported, Russia’s Ministry of Justice required all religious organisations receiving foreign funding to publish reports. Failure to comply with the reporting requirements will result in penalties.

Earlier, we reported that the chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, along with several other lawmakers, introduced the “Countering Russia’s War on Faith Act.”