A Baptist church in Zaporizhzhia was struck by Russian forces during a prayer gathering last week, leaving at least one person dead and several others injured.
The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States reported that the attack killed a minister and wounded at least eight people, with rescue operations still underway at the time of the announcement.
The targeted site was identified as The House of the Gospel Church, a congregation that had served the local community for years, according to Baptist Press.
In its statement, the embassy described the incident as a deliberate strike against worshippers who had gathered peacefully in prayer.
Organizers of the documentary series “A Faith Under Siege,” which reports on Russia’s persecution of Christians, identified the victim as Ruslan Utyuzh, a minister at the church who is survived by his wife and two children.
According to Baptist Standard, Pavel Unguryan, a former Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, said several church leaders were present at the time of the strike, which occurred as they were preparing to celebrate Easter. He added that seven or eight individuals suffered serious injuries.
Unguryan noted that the church had served as a spiritual home for more than 300 people and said that as many as 700 churches have been destroyed since the war in Ukraine began. He characterized the attack as a direct assault on believers gathered to worship and called for prayer and action.
Mission Eurasia, a ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, has maintained a long-standing relationship with the congregation, according to marketing director Kate Akers.
Akers said the church originally operated as an underground congregation and noted that one of its members now serves as a key leader within Mission Eurasia.
Colby Barrett, producer of the documentary “A Faith Under Siege,” said the strike appeared intentional rather than accidental and suggested that Russia used a KAB-1500L laser-guided precision bomb in the attack.
He further stated that attacks on churches and Christian gatherings have increased, reporting that at least 58 priests and pastors have been killed and more than 700 churches damaged or destroyed across Ukraine.
