by Melinda Haring

    Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine has a definite and unavoidable sectarian dimension.

    As a Christian praise band, clad in double-breasted blue blazers with gold buttons, swayed and sang exuberantly, it almost seemed as though I were attending a religious service in Odessa, Texas, rather than Odesa, Ukraine. The lyrics and melodies were the same. So were the prayers. The only difference was the location and language. 

    This past May, I participated in an annual prayer breakfast alongside over 200 priests, ministers, rabbis, frontline chaplains and lay leaders in Odesa, a beautiful seaport located in southern Ukraine. The breakfast was organized by my friend Pavel Unguryan, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament and evangelical leader. 

    In April 2024, Unguryan helped persuade US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring the $61 billion supplemental bill to the floor for a vote. Unguryan conveyed to him the deep faith of Ukraine’s evangelical community, which is largely based in southern and eastern Ukraine. He also spoke to Johnson about Russia’s ghastly treatment of evangelical Christians in occupied Ukraine, including bombing churches and torturing priests. 

    The importance of this issue can scarcely be exaggerated. Protestants comprise 2–4 percent of the Ukrainian population. Still, in 2022, more than one-third of the reported incidents of persecution were directed at Protestant Christians, according to the Institute for the Study of War. More than 47 Christian leaders have been murdered and the first-hand testimonials of torture are harrowing. Moscow has systematically targeted evangelicals—it views them as spies in league with Washington—and it really despises Baptists. Russia has destroyed more than 60 Baptist congregations since the full-scale invasion in February 2022. 

    Highlighting such human rights violations can make a difference. Together with Steven Moore, a former Republican congressional chief of staff, strategist and founder of Ukraine Freedom Project, the organization that I work for—Razom for Ukraine—put up billboards in Shreveport, Louisiana, home of Speaker Mike Johnson, with the speaker’s favorite Bible verse (Esther 4:14) as well as a picture of a destroyed Baptist church in Berdyansk. In Esther 4:14, Esther’s uncle tells her that she was “chosen for a time such as this,” and that she was compelled to confront evil even if it would be her undoing. The billboard read, “Mr. Speaker, for such time as this.” The message was crystal clear, but not quite enough to move Johnson. 

    In April 2024, Unguryan brought Serhii Haidarzhy to Washington to speak directly with members of Congress. Unguryan, decked in an embroidered Ukrainian shirt, hugged Cindy Lankford (the wife of Senator James Lankford (R-OK)), exclaiming “Glory to Jesus Christ” and then introducing Haidarzhy. He had lost his wife Anna and their four-month-old son Tymofii in March when a Russian missile strike destroyed their apartment building in Odesa. 

    Haidarzhy, who had first met his wife at a Baptist summer camp outside Odesa in 2020, didn’t have to say anything. Haidarzhy passed his deceased son’s baby rattle to her. As he waited for Senator Lankford, Unguryan quickly explained the neglected story of Russia’s persecution of Protestant Christians. Senator Lankford, a former pastor, has been a stalwart supporter of Ukraine and religious freedom. A day later, Unguryan and Haidarzhy met and prayed with Johnson. He altered his stance and the supplemental bill passed. 

    Since then, Donald Trump returned to the presidency, alternately defending and then expressing frustration with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Congress shows no signs of authorizing further assistance for Ukraine. Nevertheless, a recent Quinnipiac University poll revealed that a majority of voters aren’t satisfied with President Trump’s handling of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Thirty-four percent approve, 57 percent disagree and 10 percent did not answer.

    In 2024, the persecution of Christians was the wedge that compelled evangelicals and Trump backers like Johnson to back Ukraine. In 2025, the issue that may move the president and his supporters on Ukraine is Russia’s abduction of over 19,500 Ukrainian children, who are often given new names. 

    Trump’s evangelical base has long cared for the plight of children around the world. Many evangelical families, like mine, grew up “sponsoring” a child through World Vision, which provides a monthly amount to cover necessities and offers opportunities for direct correspondence. The photo of our sponsored children throughout the years graced the mantle and we prayed for them regularly. 

    Dozens of Evangelical leaders recently wrote to President Trump, demanding action on the issue. As Americans learn about the kidnapped kids, they should demand action and even Trump has pledged to do something about the issue. 

    But will his promise square with his actions? In March, the Trump administration froze funding for the Conflict Observatory at Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which tracks the whereabouts of the stolen Ukrainian children. If Secretary of State Marco Rubio does not restore funding by July 1, the effort will expire. 

    The issue of Russian persecution of Christians in Ukraine isn’t going away, either. A new film, A Faith Under Siege: Russia’s Hidden War on Ukraine’s Christians, depicts Ukrainian Christians who have been tortured for their faith. It has premiered on Newsmax as well as in churches to stunned audiences. 

    Human rights may not be on the president’s agenda, but he ignores Ukraine’s evangelical community and its stolen children at his peril.