(WASHINGTON, D.C.) THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2025 – Steven Moore and Colby Barrett traveled the entire length of the Ukrainian front lines helping Ukrainian Christians defend themselves in two different kinds of war: a kinetic war with bullets and bombs, and a propaganda war with messaging and misinformation. In their most recently featured opinion piece in Real Clear Religion, Moore and Barrett write about “The Hidden War: How Russia is Targeting Ukraine’s Christians.”
The statistics are staggering: At least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia. 2,520 children have been killed or injured. More than 630 Ukrainian churches have been shelled, looted, or destroyed; and at least 47 priests, pastors, and other faith leaders have been murdered by Russia.
But most Americans don’t know this, write Moore and Barrett. The horrors faced by Ukraine’s Christians are being hidden from American believers. “Powerful forces are arrayed against believers in Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, has declared a Holy War on Ukraine and the West. He has told Russian soldiers that if they die fighting in Ukraine, all their sins will be washed away. Googling ‘Russian orthodox priests blessing tanks’ will show dozens of photos of bearded men in black robes sprinkling holy water on weapons of war,” they write for Real Clear Religion.
“A significant number of conservative influencers who you would want to listen to on most issues are flat wrong about Ukraine’s Christians. The Russians are running a propaganda campaign trying to cover up their torture and oppression of Ukraine’s Christians. Right now, Russian money is employing lobbyists on Capitol Hill to mislead members of Congress about the source of persecution of Christians in Ukraine,” the piece continues.
“Pastor Oleh from Kherson has lost three vans to Russian drones that stalked him coming out of church services. He says he does not leave because ‘God has not released me.’ Another believer told us of being held in a basement and tortured for 25 days by the Russians, including one day when a Russian Orthodox priest tried to cast demons out of him for being an evangelical Christian,” Moore and Barrett write.
READ MORE at Real Clear Religion.
About: STEVEN MOORE
Steven Moore is a former chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives who came to Ukraine on day five of the war and lives there now. He has testified in front of Congress about Russia’s torture and murder of Ukraine’s Christians. With more than 100 media appearances, Steven is a strong voice for Christians in Ukraine being oppressed by Vladimir Putin. His work has drawn Russia’s attention, as the Kremlin has placed him on its hit list of foreign combatants.
About: COLBY BARRETTColby Barrett, JD, PE, is an entrepreneur, filmmaker, and former U.S. Marine Corps Captain who led infantry and scout/sniper platoons in the Pacific Rim and Middle East. His faith brought him to Ukraine in the fall of 2024 where he led a documentary film team on a 1500 mile journey around the Ukrainian front, interviewing dozens of Christians who suffered under Russian occupation His film, A Faith Under Siege, premieres later this month.
Contact: Eden Gordon Hill
hello@edengordonmedia.com
Cell: 202/714.6014
