Over the past five years, hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been subjected to raids, arrests and prosecution in Russia. The Russian government has never given a detailed justification for the crackdown. Many Witnesses have decided they can no longer call the country home. They fled and have restarted their lives in the U.S., Germany and other countries where they can practice their faith more freely. “I have a sense of ease now,” says one Witness who settled with her husband in Washington state. Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine has created a new concern. A spokesman for the denomination says about 5,000 Witnesses have already left Ukraine since the invasion started.
Ted S. Warren/AP
Dmitrii and Nellia Antsybor, who are from Russia and sought asylum in the United States in 2021, pose for a photo, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, at the home where they are living in Federal Way, Wash., as they hold Jehovah's Witness Watchtower literature printed in Russian. Over the past several years, hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses have been subjected to raids, arrests and prosecution in Russia, and many have fled to other countries hoping to find religious freedom and build new lives for themselves. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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