You're reading: Non-Russian Orthodox Christians say they face persecution by Kremlin-backed separatists

On a warm spring day in May 2014, the morning mist lingered while a group of 60 people gathered to erect a tent in Donetsk and take part in the prayers organized by Father Sergey Kosyak of Gospel Church.

The Christian faithful asked for God to put an end to the Kremlin-backed war in the east when Russian-backed armed forces stormed the prayer tent. They held worshipers at gunpoint and tore down the tent. They threatened the congregation with execution if they met again.

Kosyak was taken to separatist headquarters, where he was interrogated in a room that resembled a torture chamber.

“NKVD” was the inscription above the door — the initials of the precursor to the Soviet-era KGB, the terror agency responsible for mass killings, torture and imprisonment before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Kosyak is shown metal clubs, hammers and whips.

For hours, the evangelic priest that is part of Assemblies of God Pentecostal church, endured torture, interrogation and assaults. His captors took turns whipping him. Finally, he was set free.

Cases like are believed to be more frequent in the Russian-controlled regions of the Donbas, where non-Russian Orthodox faithful are targeted for persecution.

But Andrei Purgin, speaker of the separatists’ legislature, told the Kyiv Post that he knew nothing about persecution of Protestants in the separatist-held areas. “We’ve even awarded two Mormons in Slovyansk,” he said. “They fought on our side.”

However, in June 2014, Kremlin-backed separatists killed four Protestants in Sloviansk. Their bodies were found in mass graves.


Sergey Kosyak

Evangelical Protestant priest Sergei Kosyak, who leads a congregation in Donetsk, says he has tortured by Kremlin-backed separatists before they released him a year ago.

The following is an interview by German freelance journalist Chris Berger with Father Sergei Kosyak:

Chris Berger: Father Kosyak. You were abducted, beaten and persecuted for your humanitarian work. Why not move outside the separatist-controlled areas and help from there?

Sergey Kosyak: I now live in Sloviansk, which is controlled by Ukraine. I was forced to leave in August 2014 with my family, which now lives in Germany. Because of my activities they were in grave danger. I left with nothing but my laptop and slippers, the rest I had to leave behind. Then they called me and said that I cannot go back to Donetsk because the armed special forces of the (separatist) Donetsk People’s Republic has my name on their hit list and would immediately kill me if I return. So there I was, standing with my summer clothes alone on the street without shelter. But Godgave me the opportunity not only to help myself but also tens of thousands of people, both in the occupied territories and in the frontline cities controlled by Ukraine.

CB: Did you ever receive support for your humanitarian work from the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic?

SK: I would not take any help from the DPR. Even when I was approached by the DPR deputy minister of health who asked me to help his people, as I organized all the foreign medical care and assistance. I would, however, never deny treatment to ordinary people and citizens.

CB: How has the war influenced your personal relationship with God and your community in the Donbas?

SK: The war is a good indicator to show who is a true Christian. I have known many pastors who preached the faith, but when their own faith was tested proved to be cowards and preferred to save themselves and forgot about the creed of love thy neighbor. The war did not change that relationship, it just revealed who the true believers are. My church in Donetsk continues to hold services as I am able to instruct and help them from remote. However, 80 percent of my congregation is now scattered all over the world. I wholeheartedly worry about them and I think the time will come when we will be able to return.

CB: Are the rumors true that Evangelical, Roman Catholic and Baptist churches are occupied by Kremlin-backed forces and Orthodox churches are not?

Sergei Kosyak: Indeed, early in the war there was a massive seizure and occupation of buildings belonging to the evangelical communities, as well as the arrest of ministers in the Donbas. In Sloviansk, four ministers of the Church of Our Union were killed. My team and I have been arrested and beaten, together with 20 others of my congregation. Luckily all survived. The Orthodox churches were not touched by the terrorists as orthodoxy plays an important role in their view. The apparent harassment of evangelicals has subsided. It is not visible anymore.It is clear that something in the strategy of the terrorists has changed. I think this is due to massive increase of regular Russian soldiers here. They are reluctant to fight a religious war.

CB: Father – if you have a few lines to share with the world, what would they be?

SK: This world is very shaky. I saw people who, in the midst of the fighting, lost everything in this war. I saw big churches being deprived of their buildings and being forcibly reduced to a small number of believers. Churches which previously hosted big bands with expensive equipment now have to make do with a few people singing to an acoustic guitar. I know several cases of suicide because the people couldn’t cope with their losses. Just over a year ago we couldn’t even imagine something like this ever happening in Ukraine…but it happened. The world only appears to be stable. However, in fact, everything is shaky. God will judge us by our hearts and our values whether we deserve a place in heaven. Worldly values, such as material interests are only temporary. Only through Christ, faith and scripture are we saved.

Postscript: Father Sergei Kosyak currently lives in Ukraine-controlled Sloviansk and helps refugees and displaced persons in eastern Ukraine. In order to follow his activities please visit his Facebook page.

Kyiv Post staff writer Oleg Sukhov contributed to this story.