Putin Says He Protects Christians—Then His Troops Target Evangelicals

Putin claims to defend Christianity. But what happens when Russian troops take control of Ukrainian towns and encounter Christians who don't belong to the Russian Orthodox Church?

I sit down with PBS NewsHour special correspondent and award-winning investigative journalist Simon Ostrovsky to examine the persecution of Christians in Russian-occupied Ukraine—and the disturbing evidence he has uncovered.

I'm an evangelical Christian and a Republican. I've heard people in American churches describe Vladimir Putin as a defender of traditional Christian values. But Simon's reporting raises serious questions about that image.

Russian forces have shut down Baptist, Pentecostal, evangelical, Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox churches in occupied territories. Simon describes pastors being arrested, tortured, and sometimes killed, while church buildings are confiscated.

Simon also explains how his PBS reporting reached Republican members of Congress during the 2024 debate over military assistance to Ukraine, and why he believes that reporting helped change the conversation.

We discuss his forthcoming documentary, See You in Heaven, which includes rare surveillance footage of Russian forces entering churches and testimony from the people who experienced these events.

I also ask Simon a question that matters to me personally: What would he tell American evangelical Christians who believe Putin is protecting Christianity?

This is a conversation about religious freedom, Russian propaganda, the persecution of believers, and the difference between claiming to defend Christianity and actually protecting Christians.

If you know someone who believes Russia is a model of traditional Christian values, I encourage you to share this interview.

Find Simon Ostrovsky on YouTube and Substack by searching his name.

Please COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, and HYPE this video if you find this reporting valuable.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Putin Claims to Defend Christianity—But What's Happening?

01:23 The Churches Russian Troops Are Shutting Down

02:45 Russia's Return to Soviet-Era Persecution

03:24 Melitopol: 15 Churches, Only One Remains

05:41 Russian Militants Kidnap and Beat a PBS Journalist

06:53 Four Pentecostal Christians Found in a Mass Grave

08:14 Why Russia Targets Evangelicals and Baptists

11:58 Christians Forced to Hold Secret Bible Studies

13:30 How Simon's Reporting Reached Congress

16:16 What American Evangelicals Need to Hear

18:48 The Truth Behind Putin's Christian Image

20:31 The Surveillance Footage Behind the Investigation

#Ukraine #Russia #Putin #ChristianPersecution #Evangelicals #SimonOstrovsky

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