Over the past two months, in the occupied Crimea, Russian security forces have been increasing pressure on believers who do not belong to traditional Russian denominations, in particular, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, independent religious communities and Jehovah's Witnesses.
This was reported by the National Resistance Center (NRC) on October 25, Suspilne reports.
During this period, the occupiers dismantled the Holy Cross Church of the OCU in Yevpatoria at the expense of community members and decided to liquidate the "Alushta" independent Muslim community.
“The recent raids and closure of religious Muslim schools (if they do not recognize the Crimean mufti) indicate pressure on believers. Additionally, the “Supreme Court of Crimea” recently increased the punishment for members of Jehovah's Witnesses, replacing suspended sentences with real imprisonment,” the statement says.
The NRC explains that Russia wants to take advantage of the world's attention, which is focused on the war, to destroy potential centers of resistance to the occupation.
The National Resistance Center is a unit under the command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It teaches civilians how to resist the occupiers and organizes resistance in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.