According to Ian Lovett in The Wall Street Journal, “Dozens of priests from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the country’s largest denomination, have been kidnapped or killed since the (Russian) invasion began.”  

Some have been tortured, accused of stirring up anti-Russian sentiment. Those allowed to return to their congregations bear scars and missing teeth. Some never return at all. 

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s split from Russian Orthodoxy in 2019 provides the political motivation for Russia to target its members. The Russian church, under Patriarch Kirill, has supported the war, arguing that it has “metaphysical significance.”  

He may be right, though not in the way he believes. By targeting Ukrainian believers, Russia adds to the ranks of those who suffer, not just for Ukraine, but for Christ.  

Father Ioann Burdin, a Russian Orthodox priest who has publicly opposed the invasion, wrote in February, “Russian soldiers are killing their brothers and sisters in Christ…. We can’t shamefully cover our eyes and call… evil good.”