Though the Soviet Union collapsed decades ago, the scourge of control and corruption remains in nearly every aspect of life. The Russian Orthodox Church—representing roughly 55 percent of the population—has come to function more as a cultural-political arm of the government rather than a spiritual institution. Thirty percent of the population are non-religious, more faithfully representing the national spirit—plagued by excess and hopelessness—than any religion. Muslims represent 10 percent, corresponding with the spread of Islam in Europe. Less than 1.5 percent are evangelical Christian.

Despite freedom of religion protections guaranteed in the Russian constitution, broad legal definitions of “extremist activity” allow for invasive and oppressive measures to be taken against religious communities within the nation through prohibitive registration requirements, raids, arrests, and prosecutions. Since the start of the current war in Ukraine, many citizens expressing views against the war—as well as those avoiding conscription and mobilization into Ukraine—have been arrested and jailed. Russia has also ramped up its assault on foreign-based organizations it deems “undesirable,” forcing them to limit or cease operations within the country. Many Western evangelical Christian organizations, including Mission Eurasia, have been the target of this widening attack. 

Russia’s war in Ukraine has created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has displaced more than 20 million Ukrainians internally and abroad. Russia has also systematically targeted Ukraine’s houses of worship in missile attacks. Despite this challenging landscape, Mission Eurasia’s School Without Walls (SWW) leaders, who have been trained and equipped for ministry during the past two decades, remain committed to sharing the gospel with those in their communities across Russia.