Russia Keeps Punishing Evangelicals in Crimea

Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 -- one of the central points of conflict in the current clash between the two countries -- Protestant Christians in the territory have faced greater government penalties for practicing their faith. Like elsewhere in Russia, meeting together to sing and read Scripture or letting others know about a church gathering puts believers at risk under a strict 2016 anti-evangelism law. Last year, authorities prosecuted 23 cases of such activity in Crimea, up from 13 the year before, according to Forum 18, which tracks religious freedom violations in the region.