Russian invaders have already attacked 759 churches and Christian buildings in Ukraine

For years, the Soviet communist dictatorship unleashed a wave of brutal attacks against religious denominations.

The silence of some Christians regarding the constant Russian attacks on churches
A bishop denounces the persecution of Catholics in Russian-occupied Ukraine

Many clergy members were killed and many churches desecrated during that communist persecution. Although he seeks to project an image of himself as a champion of the Orthodox Christian faith, Vladimir Putin is nostalgic for the Soviet dictatorship and is attempting to whitewash communism; furthermore, regarding the war of aggression launched in 2022, he appears to be vying with former Soviet leaders in his hatred and contempt for religious buildings in Ukraine, which are being targeted by constant attacks from the invaders—just like other civilian structures such as homes, schools, hospitals, daycares, museums, and scientific institutions.

By February 2025, Russia had already attacked 596 Christian churches and buildings in Ukraine, according to data published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture's "Religion on Fire" project (the full report can be read here). The list of religious buildings attacked by the Russians totaled 642 and included 338 buildings belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, 58 buildings of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (autocephalous), 24 Catholic Church buildings (both Greek and Latin rite), 176 Protestant buildings, 8 Muslim buildings, 17 Jewish buildings, 9 religious educational institutions, and 15 buildings belonging to other faiths. These were already significant figures, demonstrating that the attacks carried out by the invaders were anything but random.

On Thursday, October 1, the "Religion on Fire" project published updated data on Russian attacks against places of worship and religious buildings. The most significant figure is that in a year and a half, Russian attacks on Christian places of worship and religious buildings rose from 596 to 759—meaning there have been 163 attacks on such buildings since February 2025. During the same period, the total number of religious buildings attacked increased from 642 to 820. The breakdown of the attacked buildings is as follows:

• 432 buildings belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
• 83 buildings belonging to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (autocephalous).
• 37 buildings belonging to the Catholic Church (both Greek and Latin rites).
• 207 Protestant buildings.
• 8 Muslim buildings.
• 24 Jewish buildings.
• 9 religious educational institutions.
• 15 buildings belonging to other religions.

The most striking detail—which highlights the selective nature of these attacks—is that of those 163 new attacks on religious buildings, not a single one targeted a Muslim building. As I noted here last March, Russia ruthlessly targets buildings belonging to other faiths while taking notable care to avoid mosques. It is worth remembering that there are 26 million Muslims in Russia and that Dagestan—a Muslim-majority peripheral region—is one of the Russian army's primary sources of recruits.

The religious minorities facing the harshest treatment from Russia are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews; despite their small numbers, they are enduring a significant wave of Russian attacks in Ukraine. In fact, last year Maksym Ryabukha—the Bishop of Stephaniacum and Archiepiscopal Exarch of Donetsk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church—denounced the persecution of Catholics in Russian-occupied Ukraine, noting that many Catholic parishes have been closed, occupied, or destroyed by the invaders.

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Main photo: Andrii Sybiha. Image of the Russian attack on the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, carried out on June 15, 2026.