Occupants intensify liquidation of religious communities in Crimea

Repressions against religious communities have intensified in the occupied Crimea. The Nazis are destroying churches, suspending the activities of the OCU, and persecuting believers of other faiths.

This was reported by the Atesh movement.

According to them, the situation with the observance of the rights of believers is rapidly deteriorating on the peninsula. The occupation administrations of the Russian Federation have actually completed the cleansing of the religious environment, systematically displacing all denominations, except for the Russian Orthodox Church controlled by the special services.

It is noted that the activities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Crimea are now virtually suspended. The occupation authorities have moved from administrative pressure to the physical destruction of religious buildings.

In particular, in Yevpatoria, the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was completely demolished, and in Simferopol, the dome of the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olga was dismantled and the building was finally sealed. Due to the constant threats of forced mobilization, the last Ukrainian priest was forced to leave the peninsula, which, according to the movement, effectively put an end to the official existence of the OCU diocese in Crimea.

At the same time, according to the movement, the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses communities in Sevastopol and other cities of the peninsula continues. There are cases of illegal searches, threats of deprivation of parental rights, and the use of forced psychiatric treatment against believers. People are accused of terrorist activities for their pacifist beliefs and their contacts with the outside world are completely restricted.

According to the movement, the Crimean Tatar Muslim communities are subjected to similar pressure, refusing to cooperate with the structures appointed by Moscow.

Atesh emphasized that until 2014, all these religious communities within Ukraine operated safely and did not face similar repression. Now, according to them, religious beliefs have become the basis for criminal cases and state terror in the occupied territory.

At the end of December, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people stated that the "peace plan" to end the war ignores the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity. The document does not mention Crimea and Sevastopol, which remain under the temporary occupation of Russia.

Анна Бальчінос