Communities of Progressive Judaism have been operating in Ukraine since 1991. Poltava has a small but active community that has not stopped its religious activities since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We talked to Yevheniia Nozhenko, community leader of the religious congregation… Read More »“My mission as a leader is to uplift the spirit of the people”, – Yevheniia Nozhenko
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by russian troops, discussions about alternative (non-military) service became more frequent. Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine declares the right of a citizen to alternative (non-military) service based on his/her religious beliefs. In particular, according to the doctrine… Read More »“Ukraine should create institute of alternative (non-military) service”, – Serhiy Afanasyev
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Church at the State Tax University (STU) in Irpin has been operating since 1999. At first, it was a church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. When the battles for Irpin broke out with the start of the… Read More »«I already made the decision to transfer to OCU on February 24…», – Father Andriу Klyushev
Melitopol has been under occupation for over two years. In December 2022, the occupation regime banned the activities of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Zaporizhzhia region. Prior to the full-scale invasion and the ban, however, the Greek Catholic community in this region was growing… Read More »“I can’t change circumstances or situations, what I see or hear, but I can be there for you…”, – Father Oleksandr Bohomaz
Tavriya Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine covers the parishes of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, these regions have been in the eye of the storm. In particular, the left bank area of… Read More »“People yearn for all Ukrainian, they want to be part of the Ukrainian church”, – Bishop Borys (Kharko), OCU
In mid-June 2023, the field team of the Religion on Fire project visited the Ukrainian Evangelical Seminary in Berezivka, one of the villages in Kyiv region that was occupied by Russian troops. The very next day after the full-scale invasion, the village was occupied by… Read More »“One copy of the Bible must have been used by the russians to annoy the dog, because the only Ukrainian Bible left was torn apart”, – Andriy Shved
More than two years have passed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, which, among other things, has led to a humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people have suddenly become refugees – internal migrants who are trying to meet… Read More »“Religion is a process in the heart of every believer”, – Artem Poltoratskyi
Odesa is one of the largest cities in Ukraine, which suffers from constant shelling by Russian troops. This city is well-known for its rich Jewish history. Before the full-scale invasion, there were several Jewish communities in Odesa: Chabad Lubavitch, Litvak, Reform, and Conservatives. The migration… Read More »“Everything will be fine with the community, I am sure of that. Now the most important thing is our victory”, – Volodymyr Zeev Vaksman
The russian invasion has led to changes in religious life not only for Ukrainian citizensin Ukraine, but also for those Ukrainians who have taken refuge in other countries. It is worthy of note that among priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church there are those who… Read More »“Invaders hoped that the Church would happily embrace them but their expectations didn’t come true”, – Father Dmytro Dziadevych
There are not many Greek Catholic communities in Chernihiv region, but parishes develop and grow. Priests who come here to develop communities face many challenges, but they do their best to bring people closer to God. At the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of… Read More »“I believe that for some reason God wanted me to be here” – Father Roman Hrydkovets