Russian courts have banned three additional Baptist churches affiliated with the Council of Churches Baptists in the southern region of Krasnodar, continuing a broader government campaign against unregistered congregations across the country.
According to the Forum 18 News Service, the churches in Timashyovsk, Armavir, and Tuapse were prohibited from operating unless they formally notify authorities of their activities — a requirement the denomination has refused to meet on principle.
The Council of Churches Baptists, which emerged during the Soviet era, maintains that registration represents state interference in religious life and is not mandated by Russian law or the national Constitution.
In Timashyovsk, the District Court issued a ruling on Oct. 13 banning the church’s operations after a June inspection in which officials entered the building during a worship service and later questioned Pastor Andrey Antonyuk about the group’s legal standing.
A civil lawsuit filed in July by the local prosecutor requested a ban until the church submitted a formal notification of its existence. The ruling cited no “gross or repeated violations” that would justify such a prohibition, according to the Intercession Department of the Council.
In Armavir, the city court upheld a similar request by prosecutors on Sept. 30, ruling that Pastor Vladimir Popov had led religious gatherings without proper authorization and that the group functioned as an unregistered religious association.
The Tuapse City Court likewise banned the local Baptist congregation on Sept. 22, after the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that the group held religious events involving minors and visitors from other regions and countries. Prosecutors had filed the administrative lawsuit in August.
Pastor Anatoly Mukhin was previously fined for allegedly conducting illegal missionary activities, which included distributing religious literature and leading worship services without notifying state authorities.
The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) explained that when a church is banned by court order in Russia, it is prohibited from meeting not only at its usual location but anywhere within the respective city or district.
These latest rulings bring the total number of Council of Churches Baptist congregations banned in Russia to 10 since the start of 2024, ICC reported.
The Council insists that the requirement to notify authorities of their existence violates their faith convictions and constitutional right to gather for worship. They emphasize that they are private citizens gathering for religious purposes, not a legal entity.
Under a 2016 Supreme Court resolution, courts may impose bans only in cases of gross, repeated, or irreparable violations. However, judges have repeatedly ruled that unregistered churches may resume their activities if they comply with the notification requirement — a condition critics argue contradicts the standard for imposing a ban.
Meanwhile, the Russian government is weighing even tighter restrictions. A bill introduced in the State Duma in June would prohibit worship services and religious rites from taking place in residential properties or non-residential parts of apartment buildings — a move that could severely affect many Council of Churches Baptist congregations that meet in private homes.
