This article has been corrected from its broadcast to clarify that Pastor Mykhailo Brytsyn did not say that churches are required to have thirty Russian passports in the original interview. That information came from the online documentary A Faith Under Siege (2025).

Ukraine (MNN) — In Ukraine, Russian forces are increasing their control over occupied regions. Churches, in particular, are facing heightened surveillance.

Russian authorities are tightening their grip on occupied territories of Ukraine. Churches are under special scrutiny because sermons and prayers can either strengthen believers in faith and courage or pressure them to compromise with the occupying regime.

Pastor Mykhailo Brytsyn, a partner with Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says the crackdown has intensified especially against unregistered congregations.

“There are a lot of such churches,” Brytsyn explains, “because Ukrainian laws allowed churches to exist without registration.”

Church in Vesele village (Kherson region of Ukraine) after Russian strike with guided air-dropped bombs on 5 May 2023 (Photo courtesy of National Police of Ukraine via Wikimedia Commons)

Under Russian rule, churches must register so authorities can monitor sermons. Those who refuse risk punishment, and some gatherings are raided.

Brytsyn experienced these limitations and oppression firsthand:

“I saw it during the occupation, when it was forbidden to go to church, when our church buildings were already confiscated. People go to home groups for Bible study, as during the Soviet Union.”

Brytsyn’s own church in Melitopol was seized and transformed into an entertainment club. For believers who remain, even walking past the building brings deep pain.

“Russians cut off the cross,” he recalls. “They painted it brown and put up some picture instead.”

In occupied Berdiansk, pastor Ilya and his wife Kateryna led a small church — until persecution forced them to flee.

“In 2024 he was twice arrested,” Brytsyn says. “He was tortured, and the third arrest — it could be the end. They escaped from the territory.”

Representative photo of a man praying over his Bible (photo courtesy of Malachi Cowie via Unsplash)

Believers who remain in the occupied territories now worship quietly in small groups, echoing the secret gatherings of the Soviet era. Fear of informants keeps trust fragile, yet faith endures.

“I saw a lot of people who weren’t so dedicated to church attendance, but they made a decision and went to church firmly and bravely,” Brytsyn says. “For them, it was like their repentance — they were turning to Christ or renewing their commitment to Him.”

Even as suffering deepens, believers see God moving in remarkable ways — through unity, mercy, and His protecting hand. Some ministers continue their training online as they pray for strength and hope in Ukraine’s darkest hours.

Learn how you can support believers in Ukraine at Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

Header representative photo: A copy of the Bible in Ukrainian, opened to the Book of Joshua (photo courtesy of Tyshkun Victor via Wikimedia Commons)