“Our meeting today can be regarded as historic!” For the first time in history, top-level representatives from the Protestant churches of Russia and China are meeting on each others’ soil.

More than a few sources quietly confirm that Ukrainian Protestants loyal to Kiev do not approve of humanitarian aid in Russian-held zones. In hopes of keeping conflicts to a minimum, Russian Protestants have consequently remained very tight-lipped regarding the aid they supply to Donbass.

An interconfessional declaration attacking the concept of a Russian World was published in Kiev on 10 January 2024. It was distributed further by the “European Evangelical Alliance”.

Why do Russians climb walls when they hear assurances that the Russian attack of 24 February 2022 was “unprovoked and unjustified”?

In Russia itself, however, Reimer sees the mood as more differentiated. According to his impression, Russia's Protestants do not support the Orthodox concepts of Byzantium and an East Slavic "Russian world".

Shock was the overriding reaction felt by Russia’s Protestants when the invasion of Ukraine broke loose on 24 February.

This article is an update on my long piece from 17 September 2018 in this same file on Ukraine and Moldova.

There are wars and rumours of wars, also here in the Kaliningrad enclave – this sprawling, heavily-rural version of Cold War West Berlin.

Rev. Mikhovich reported that more than a few younger persons are disappointed by the political stance of the country’s churches. Younger visitors “had not placed their hope in Christ, but were instead counting on us to take a political stand”.

Today, “Word of Life” is Moscow’s largest Protestant congregation with 6.000 participants meeting at 26 locations in and around Moscow.