Russia: Baptist leader detained

As reported by Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) on 9 August 2023, police in the western Russian city of Kaluga detained Albert Ratkin, a bishop of the New Word Baptist church, “as a witness in a probe against the chairman of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Yury Sipko”. Sipko is under investigation for sharing comments on social media about Russian armed forces fighting in Ukraine.

World Watch Research analyst Rolf Zeegers comments: “Pressure exerted by the government on Christians in Russia is growing. Although according to unconfirmed reports Sipko has now left Russia, his case remains an indication of how careful Christians in Russia need to be in what they say and do. Making critical statements or questioning the ‘special campaign’ (i.e. the war in Ukraine) can lead to severe consequences. And if the state agents cannot arrest the suspect himself, they will detain someone else who was in contact with the suspect, carry out a house-search and confiscate computers and other personal belongings.”