Officials of the unrecognised Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine ordered Baptist Union churches to halt their public worship or risk punishment, it was reported in March.
Pastor Igor Bandura of the Ukrainian Baptist Union said: ‘All Baptist churches that have prayer houses will halt meetings in them, so Sunday worship and other services will not take place’. He said church members fear that if they do not halt their worship, officials could raid their worship meetings or arrest church leaders.
The LPR authorities have rejected all registration applications from Protestant communities.
