Russian courts have stepped up a campaign against unregistered Baptist congregations, blocking multiple churches from meeting anywhere in their own communities.
Russian judges have prohibited at least 10 congregations affiliated with the Council of Churches Baptists from gathering without state permission, according to a recent report from human rights organization Forum 18. The cases span several regions but have been concentrated in the Krasnodar area of Southern Russia, where prosecutors have pursued a series of lawsuits targeting religious groups that refuse to register with the government.
The Council of Churches Baptists was formed six decades ago in direct opposition to Soviet religious controls. Its congregations continue to meet largely in private homes or on private land, maintaining that the Russian Constitution, the 1997 Religion Law, and international human rights norms protect their right to worship without state involvement. They reportedly also point to a December 2016 Supreme Court resolution that said a group’s “failure to submit notification” of its activities “cannot in itself be grounds for prohibiting the activities of such a group.”
In practice, prosecutors and courts have applied broad discretion to restrict unregistered religious assemblies. Officials routinely pursue accusations of “unlawful missionary activity” under Russia’s Administrative Code, and judges have banned congregations from operating not only at their current locations but anywhere within a city or district, according to Forum 18.
Three additional Baptist churches in Timashyovsk, Armavir, and Tuapse were prohibited from operating unless they notify authorities of their activities, the report indicated.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s July report on what it called “Russia’s Persecution of Religious Groups and FoRB Actors” cited earlier actions by Russian officials, including the closing of another Baptist house of prayer for alleged “illegal missionary activity.”
The commission report said Russian courts considered 431 cases of religion law violations last year, many tied to alleged “illegal missionary activities,” with fines totaling more than 4.7 million rubles, more than 58,000 dollars at the time.
Since 2017, the Commission has recommended that the Department of State classify Russia as a Country of Particular Concern for its systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom.
The Department of State designated Russia as a CPC in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In the 2025 report, the Commission urged officials in Washington not only to maintain that designation but also to impose targeted sanctions on Russian government agencies and individuals it said were responsible for religious freedom violations.
It remains unclear why officials have increasingly focused on the Council of Churches Baptists since 2024. However, Forum 18 has reported numerous government actions tied to accusations of “unlawful missionary activity” in the Krasnodar region.
Other denominations claim religious discrimination in Russia.
Jehovah’s Witnesses were designated an “extremist” organization in the former Soviet state in 2017. A Jehovah’s Witness report on the matter says, “Since Russia’s Supreme Court effectively banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017, the authorities continue to imprison men, women, the elderly, and even the infirm for engaging in peaceful religious activities, such as praying, singing Christian songs, or discussing the Bible. The frequency and length of the sentences have increased, with the maximum term now reaching eight years.”
These actions contrast with recent messaging from the Russian government. One military ad depicted Russia as a defender of all traditional religious values on the global stage.
Last year, The Dallas Express reported that an English-language Russian short-form video showed Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others fighting together against an unidentified, presumably godless enemy.
The ad was released amid a new residency program for individuals fleeing what they called “destructive neoliberal ideals,” part of a broader narrative portraying Russia as a sanctuary for Christians.