Religious freedom is a new concept in the largest country in the world, Russia. The country is primarily Russian Orthodox and was the center of Communist power for the world for more than a generation. With the crumbling of the USSR in 1991, Russia adopted a constitution officially allowing freedom of religion. However, that freedom is not consistently respected across the country. In fact, in 2005, the Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that, “The country’s progress, based on the rule of law, the protection of human rights, and democratic freedoms, is now in peril.”

Unlike most of the former Soviet republics, Russia does not have a central agency to deal with religious affairs. As a result, there is a wide variation of religious freedom, with regional authorities often harassing the non-traditional groups.

In 1997, a national religion law was passed, requiring churches to have existed in the country for fifteen years before being permitted to register. Without registration, churches are restricted to worshipping only in a facility owned by individual members and teach their existing members. This is particularly an issue for Baptists groups who refuse state registration on principle, remembering the abuses of official registration under the former Soviet Union. Evangelical Protestants in particular are actively portrayed as alien to Russian culture and society.

The Russian Orthodox Church continues to enjoy a special status with the Russian government, particularly at the local level. As a result, some Christian leaders are experiencing an increasing intolerance toward non-Orthodox believers. New visas and visa renewals have been regularly denied for foreign religious workers.

On August 21-22, 2004, representatives from the International Union of Churches of the Evangelical Christian Baptists (IUC ECB) were scheduled to hold an annual service in a tent in the town of Lyubuchany a few miles south of Moscow. According to their website (www.iucecb.com), the meetings had been held in the area for more than ten years. Since the meetings were of a religious nature, they did not fall under the regulations requiring approval from local authorities. However, on August 20, the owner of the land, V. L. Chekanov, was called to the police station where he was asked to explain the nature of the meeting. That evening, several hundred police moved in on the site, including officers with machine guns and gas masks. The authorities completely dismantled the tent and the furnishings, verbally abusing those present and injuring one man who had been taking photographs.

Three weeks later, the hostility escalated when the building where the local ECB church was meeting was burned by a group of vandals. An arson report was filed by police only after the insistence of the church members.

Religious restrictions have only increased in 2005. The Russian Orthodox Church considers most Protestants “sects” and is directly opposing those churches through printed material and public protests. The leadership of the Orthodox Church has told all priests to report on the activities of Protestants and those who show any kind of favoritism to “sectarians”.

The major problem for religious freedom in Russia is in Chechnya, where rebels have been fighting for independence from Russia. Chechen rebels, who are predominantly Muslim with strong ties to militant Islamic groups including al-Qaida, have targeted Christians. In January 2002 Chechen rebels included all Christians on their list of official enemies, vowing to "blow up every church and mission-related facility in Russia." Many Christians have been forced to flee Chechnya to escape a rash of kidnappings and brutal murders.

• Pray that religious freedom will be consistently respected throughout Russia
• Pray that churches who refuse to register for reasons of conscience will be free to serve Christ
• Pray for safety for Christians in danger from militant Islamic groups in Chechnya