Russian occupation forces have systematically targeted the Catholic Church in Ukraine since 2022, closing or seizing at least 26 places of worship and banning Catholic organizations across occupied territories. Authorities have arrested Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests, converted churches to Russian Orthodox control, and accused clergy of working for foreign intelligence. Catholics comprise roughly 13% of Ukraine’s population, with most belonging to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The campaign continues a historical pattern of religious suppression spanning three centuries, though documentation of these acts preserves evidence of what communities endure.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, occupation authorities have conducted a systematic campaign against religious communities that diverges sharply from international norms of religious freedom.
Russian occupation forces have systematically targeted religious communities in Ukraine, violating fundamental international principles of religious freedom.
Russian forces have carried out 76 documented acts of religious persecution, closed or converted 26 places of worship to the Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, and killed or seized 29 clergy or religious leaders across occupied territories.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church has faced particularly severe repression.
In 2022, occupation authorities banned the Ukrainian Catholic Church and Catholic charities in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, accusing these entities of working for foreign intelligence and storing weapons.
Russian forces seized a Catholic monastery in Mariupol for use as an administration center, continuing a historical pattern of eradication that stretches across the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Today, no Ukrainian Catholic parishes are registered anywhere in Russia.
Catholics comprise 13-14% of Ukraine’s population, with approximately 80% belonging to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church.
A 2024 Razumkov Center study found that Catholicism had grown to 12% of the population, reflecting its deep roots in Ukrainian society.
The broader religious persecution campaign has devastated communities across denominations.
More than 650 churches have been destroyed or damaged since the invasion began.
Russian forces have killed 52 faith leaders, including priests, pastors, deacons, and chaplains, while threatening, detaining, torturing, or disappearing others to control local populations.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine was targeted in 34% of persecution events, while Protestants were victims in another 34% of cases.
Russian authorities banned all Protestant and non-Orthodox churches in Mariupol and have systematically worked to eliminate the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from occupied areas.
This intensified campaign appears designed to eradicate independent religious organizations and impose Moscow’s control over spiritual life.
Russian forces captured two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests in Berdyansk in November 2022 and effectively closed the main Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Melitopol the following month.
Russian leadership has denied Ukrainian nationhood itself, claiming that Ukrainians are not a distinct people and dismissing the Ukrainian language as merely a dialect.
Despite these challenges, religious communities continue to serve their congregations where possible, demonstrating resilience in the face of systematic oppression that violates fundamental principles of religious freedom.
This assault on religious identity echoes historical patterns of targeting communities tied to covenantal promises and their cultural heritage.
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