A group of Ukrainian Christians is visiting U.S. churches and meeting with government officials to build support and confront misinformation about the war.
The group, Defenders of Faith and Religious Freedom in Ukraine arranged the tour as they seek to spread the word that Russian President Vladimir Putin not only wants to control Ukrainian territory but also to silence the Church.
“Russia is destroying our faith. They’re persecuting evangelical churches, they’re persecuting preachers,” Ukrainian military Chaplain Mark Sergeyev told CBN News.
When Russia launched its invasion in February of 2022, Sergeyev served as a youth pastor for one of Ukraine’s largest evangelical churches. By early March, soldiers were at his front door.
“I see a couple of lasers in my face, and I understand, ‘Yeah they’ve come, welcome to the Russian Federation…’ So they take me outside, put me on the ground…my oldest son was at that moment…he was 9 years old, he was sleeping in a different room and they wake him up with a gun,” Sergeyev recalled.
Since his father led Melitopol Christian Church, he says Russians sought him and his family as a part of their strategy to subdue the Ukrainian people.
“People get outside with (the) Ukrainian
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