Jehovah's Witnesses and the War in Ukraine

 UKRAINE

Jehovah's Witnesses and the War in Ukraine

16/02/2024

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, different religious organizations have reacted differently both to the events in Ukraine and to the war. The position of these religions did not leave society indifferent. Unfortunately, we know of cases in which the leaders of some religions openly approved the war in Ukraine and, consequently, the death of many innocent people. For this reason, many parishioners who do not agree with this position have even stopped attending their churches. Some other religious organizations have adopted a position of neutrality. In this sense, there is a lot of talk about the position of Jehovah's Witnesses.

In this article, I would like to present my personal research on this topic based on the sources available to the author. And first of all, I would like to give an answer to the main question: does the political neutrality of Jehovah's Witnesses mean their indifference to what is happening?

Thus, according to the organization's internal statistics, as a result of military operations in Ukraine, about fifty believers have already been killed and about a hundred people have been injured. More than 1,200 believers' houses were destroyed or severely damaged. 25 Jehovah's Witness religious buildings were also severely damaged. Another 76 religious buildings or Kingdom Halls were slightly damaged.

Jehovah's Witnesses around Kiev (Gostomel, Irpin, Bucha), Kharkiv and eastern Ukraine suffered the most. The author was able to personally interview some witnesses from different regions of Ukraine. The extremely tragic situation in Mariupol was the one that hit the hardest. Many saw with their own eyes the death of their relatives or neighbors. In addition, according to the testimony of eyewitnesses, some young Jehovah's Witnesses suffered abuse by soldiers of the occupation army in this city.

As reality shows, believers who remained in the occupied territory immediately ended up on the list of extremists. Interrogations and searches began immediately after the occupation. Recall that previously on the territory of the Russian Federation Witnesses were included in the list of extremist organizations. Due to their position of neutrality, as well as the refusal to serve in the Russian army and kill innocent people, Jehovah's Witnesses in this country are subject to severe persecution. And today, some Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation are sentenced to longer sentences than for murder.

Moderna judicial sentences have surpassed even the severity of the Soviet system. It should be noted that earlier the Soviet totalitarian regime already tried to deal with Jehovah's Witnesses en masse. Thus, in 1951 the largest "religious" deportation from the USSR was organized. Almost 10,000 believers were deported from the western regions of the country to remote areas of Siberia. Today, only the wording has changed, but the reason for religious repression remains the same: the reluctance of Witnesses to compromise their principles and support the State's military policy.

In this regard, many Jehovah's Witnesses left the occupied territory of Ukraine. Believers in the war zone also left their homes so as not to expose themselves to danger. In the rest of Ukraine, 26 special committees were created to provide assistance to all those who fled the war. In many cities, local churches (Kingdom Halls) became shelters. In these shelters, local residents regularly prepared food and brought basic necessities to everyone in need. At the same time, the Witnesses provided help not only to their fellow believers, but also to their non-believing relatives and everyone who needed it. In total, these committees helped almost 55,000 refugees. In addition, special stands were organized at the railway stations of the large cities of western Ukraine, near which informational support, as well as psychological and moral assistance was provided to everyone who wanted it.

Witnesses were actively involved in volunteer work from the very first days of the war. Many risked their lives to bring food and medicine to war zones. To do this, some traveled more than 500 kilometers every day and crossed numerous roadblocks. A group of 21 male volunteers made about 80 trips and traveled a total of almost 50,000 kilometers, delivering more than 23 tons of food. Sometimes the volunteers were captured and brutally beaten by the soldiers. At the same time, cars and products were taken away from them. There were also cases when Witnesses died during their volunteer work. For example, an elderly man from the Donetsk region died in Kramatorsk while helping the residents of the city to leave the war zone.

Although Jehovah's Witnesses do not participate in military operations, they do everything they can to help rebuild the buildings after the bombings. For example, several construction groups currently operate in the country that help in the repair of residential buildings, public institutions and Kingdom Halls. So far, 37 works have been completed and 48 others are being worked on. If the house is destroyed, a garage or a shed will be converted into a modest dwelling. Those who lost their homes due to rocket fire are also taking part in the reconstruction works. These construction groups are even involved in the repair of public buildings. For example, in the city of Mykolaiv, a group of Witnesses helped an international humanitarian organization repair and organize a warehouse for clothes and other aid.

Due to the circumstances, many Witnesses were forced to leave the borders of Ukraine and go to another country. According to the available data, a fifth of all Ukrainian followers of the community, almost 28,000 believers, are located outside the country. In most cases, these are women and children.

Almost immediately after the beginning of the war, on the border between Ukraine and Poland, Jehovah's Witnesses organized special points where voluntary assistance was provided to those in need. In Poland itself, some congress halls have been turned into aid centers for Ukrainian refugees. One of the largest centers was the Sosnovtsi Congress Hall. A special room for children was equipped in this room with a large number of toys. The children were allowed to take their favorite toys.

The German Jehovah's Witnesses also helped. As the author's personal investigation showed, it was to Germany that most of the Witnesses were transferred from the most affected regions of Ukraine, for example, from Mariupol. In addition, believers from the occupied territory of Ukraine, for example from Crimea and Donbass, moved and continue to move to Germany.

Among those people, there are many who have lost their homes and their relatives. Many people suffered extremely deep emotional and psychological wounds. With this in mind, Germany has organized special committees to provide assistance to victims. The practice of the "guardians" was also organized. German Witnesses played the role of "guardians", helping Ukrainians not only to find housing, but also in other everyday matters, for example, in learning the language, writing documents and communicating with state authorities. Many German Witnesses still do this work completely selflessly.

German believers also actively participated in the search for housing for Ukrainians. In many German cities, Ukrainian refugees managed to provide not only housing, but also everything they needed. This, of course, is very important for those who have nowhere to return. At the same time, local Witnesses often helped not only their fellow believers, but also everyone who came to them.

Unfortunately, the exact number of Ukrainian Witnesses currently living in Germany is unknown. However, on almost the entire territory of Germany, Russian-speaking communities (congregations) increased by 40-50%. Ukrainian-speaking groups also began to appear on the territory of the country.

Unfortunately, the exact number of Ukrainian Witnesses currently living in Germany is unknown. However, on almost the entire territory of Germany, Russian-speaking communities (congregations) increased by 40-50%. Ukrainian-speaking groups also began to appear on the territory of the country.

It is worth noting that during the analysis of the Society's reports and publications, it becomes clear that the topic of the war in Ukraine has been avoided lately. If we do not take into account small press releases, the current situation in Ukraine is almost indescribable. Perhaps this topic is considered too dramatic and potentially triggering. However, in our opinion, neutrality does not mean silence. It is worth mentioning Joseph Rutherford, one of the first presidents of the Society. At one point, he boldly and openly condemned fascism. The publications of the time openly condemned all manifestations of Nazism.

Moreover, there is no denying that Jehovah's Witnesses were among the first to report on Russia's attack on Ukraine. In addition, in subsequent articles on its website, the Society repeatedly reported on the negative consequences of the war. Even the words of the President of Ukraine about the inadmissibility of a nuclear war were quoted.

So, unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues, and most likely, when you read this article, the number of victims mentioned at the beginning of the article will increase. The whole world watches with pain in its heart how completely innocent people suffer because of this war. At the same time, it is nice to realize that even neutral organizations such as Jehovah's Witnesses do not stand on the sidelines and do everything possible to help the victims of war. Their desire to restore by themselves what was destroyed by the war is also commendable.

Author of the article: Kostyantyn Berezhko, candidate of historical sciences, author of the book "Jehovah's Witnesses and the KGB"

In the photos:

1: Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses damaged by a bombing.

2: Restoration of residential buildings by Jehovah's Witness volunteer construction teams.

3: Rooms for Ukrainian refugee children in the Congress Palace of Jehovah's Witnesses in Sosnowiec (Poland).

4: One of the Halls of the Kingdom of Jehovah's Witnesses converted into a refugee reception center.

https://risu.ua/svidki-yegovi-ta-vijna-v-ukrayini_n146246?fbclid=IwAR32LFzbilv1YTkEgnfD-dmsfoKTlRWF-wTL6huJnHzjBbq2JPRLoATAdJM