In occupied Crimea, Russia creates artificial obstacles in the activities of any religious community, if it does not belong to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
This was stated by First Deputy Minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova at the Forum of the International Alliance on Freedom of Religion, according to UA.
She stressed that the Crimean Tatars have become the most persecuted religious community in occupied Crimea. More than 120 people are being held behind bars on the basis of trumped-up criminal cases.
"In the occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia restricts missionary activities under the pretext of fighting so-called extremism. The Russian Federation is trying to stop the activities of all pro-Ukrainian organizations in occupied Crimea. In particular, religious communities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Crimean Tatar Muslims. Of the 49 religious communities that operated in Crimea at the beginning of 2014, only 5 are currently operating," Dzhaparova said.