Russia
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Eastern Europe
Russian Protestants try to add something to President's family policy
Many churches throughout Russia’s Protestant community have dedicated 2024 to be the “Year of the Family.” Entitled God sem'i,(??? ?????) in Russian, Boris Protasevich from Zaoksk Adventist University said to IRP that the event will discuss the importance of traditional family values and encourage healthy lifestyles. An advisory council of…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian initiative unites Christians from Baltic and beyond
A group of Ukrainians have started a collective to call Christians to protect their spiritual values. The initiative is called “Platform of Christian Unity in the Baltic and Black Sea Region,” and it aims to organise meetups for Christians around Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. Its vision has the long-term…
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Eastern Europe
Regions in Russia started to ban abortion. Is a national ban realistic?
Some regions in Russia have started legislating for restrictions on abortion. The Russian Orthodox Church is happy with that and even wants to see a nationwide ban on abortion. The population decline makes this necessary, the clergy thinks. According to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and other leaders from the Russian…
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Eastern Europe
Russian Christians remain sceptical of Family Party
After the punk-rock band Pussy Riot desecrated a Russian Orthodox church in 2012, Andrei Kormukhin believed that something had to be done. “Westernised” punk bands were considered threats against his Orthodox faith. Years later, Kormukhin still saw a need to revive Russia’s religious foundation. That was when the father of…
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Eastern Europe
The Russian surrogacy industry is collapsing
The Russian surrogacy industry is “collapsing”. People working in the market fear an exodus to other countries in an attempt to get a child through cross-border surrogacy. New legislation in Russia and the war in Ukraine dealt a heavy blow to the Russian surrogacy industry. At some clinics, the number…
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Eastern Europe
Russian Christians persecuted for refusing mandatory mobilisation in the war
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, more Russians are refusing to go to war, particularly for religious reasons. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened the case of two evangelists who have decided not to take part in “hostilities,” according to an inVictory report Sergei Tarasov and Maxim Drozdov, attend an Evangelical…
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Eastern Europe
Pacifism in the war (1/2): In the Ukraine conflict, some Christians serve soldiers rather than becoming one
The Baptist youth minister Roman Suhar desired to serve his country Ukraine. But for him, fighting was out of the question. Together with a friend, he created a foundation to help soldiers and civilians. The war in Ukraine has left its Christian leaders grappling with how to serve their communities.…