LPR declares Baptists an extremist organization
The Ministry of State Security of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) banned the activities of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (AUC ECB) and declared the organization extremist, Novosti Donbasa (News of Donbas) news outlet reports, citing separatist media.
The organization was accused of “spreading the ideas of forcible seizure of the [separatist] Republics by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, maintaining contact with Ukrainian nationalist organizations and influencing church members uses psychotropic medication.” It is reported that the organization’s print, audio and video media were confiscated.
Baptists are not the first religious group to be banned by the LPR. Earlier, Jehovah’s Witnesses were also banned.