Government · Nationwide · August 31, 2026
Russia Bans US Ministry Mission Eurasia, Seizes Bibles From Churches
Russia's Ministry of Justice designated the U.S.-based ministry Mission Eurasia an "undesirable organization" on May 13, according to Christianity Today, effectively criminalizing its materials inside the country—including Bibles it has distributed for decades. Two days later, authorities searched the office of Peter Mitskevich, president of Moscow Theological Seminary and head of Russia's largest evangelical denomination, and fined him for possessing Mission Eurasia books and Bibles bearing the ministry's logo. St. Petersburg Christian University was similarly fined this month over two Mission Eurasia titles. Russian pastor Andre Furmanov, in Vyborg, was warned by his lawyer to purge his church library of the ministry's materials or face legal consequences. Mission Eurasia president Sergey Rakhuba says the government has given no public explanation, but believes the ministry's documentation of Russian persecution of Ukrainian Christians and destroyed churches is the likely cause. Russia added the American ministry Child Evangelism Fellowship to the same blacklist in July. More than 350 organizations are now on Russia's "undesirable" registry.
Source: Christianity Today
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
This is state persecution of a Bible-believing, U.S.-based Christian ministry for the plain content of its work—distributing Scripture and training pastors. American Christians should recognize that supporting missions abroad now carries real legal risk for national believers who partner with them, and that reporting on the persecution of the church in Ukraine appears to be a direct trigger for this crackdown. The absence of any stated justification for banning Bibles themselves reveals the arbitrary nature of the designation. Churches that have sent resources, funded translation work, or hosted Mission Eurasia partnerships should understand the danger their Russian contacts now face and adjust communication accordingly, as the ministry itself has already done for safety.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. — John 15:18
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