FSB against the church

Why do believers have to escape from Russia, and what threatens not escaping?

Yakov Krotov: This release of the program is devoted to persecution of the Christian Church - the Christian Center "Restoration" . The idea of restoration or restoration is one of the main ideas that is present both in the Pentateuch of Moses and in the psalms in the Holy Scriptures. There is no bright future for a believer, but there is some initial point, the cause of existence, it is also a goal. But what a believer is coming to is at the same time behind him. We are recovering.

Let's start with a small interview. One of the parishioners of the Church says the Christian center "Restoration" Ing Schulga . How is it for the believer when such persecution begins on the church that the pastor and his wife are forced to flee Russia?

Inga Shulga: I am 31 years old, and when I came to this church for the first time, I was 14 years old. I chose it myself, and I really liked how they met me. There are kind, sincere people. Of course, there are crafty people everywhere, but in general these are people who really believe in God, they are real, alive, and this attracted me very much. This attracted me to our pastor, and therefore I chose Evgeni Perevvetov. He himself lives what teaches, the example of his family is one of the main examples for me: the way they build a family for 12 years is simply inspiring.

The fact that there is no pastor is a great tragedy for me personally. I believe that this is ashamed for our country, because as much as Evgeny Peresvetov did for people and for our homeland as a whole, not every citizen of the Russian Federation will do.

Yakov Krotov: In the studio, two more members of the Church "Restoration" - Ilya Kovalev and Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva .

Your meetings were held in a club called "Icon"? How many people are there in the hall?

Ilya Kovalev: On average every Sunday was about 500-600 people.

Yakov Krotov: And when did the show with the FSB begin?

This constantly goes through all regions of our country-they try to persuade pastors to something, something to find out

Ilya Kovalev: In Russia, it began a long time ago. If we talk about Pastor Eugene, I remember that back in 2010 there were constant appeals, questions, they tried to recruit him, to include to their side, tried to give some minor tasks, but he constantly refused: “Sorry, I don’t play these games.” He told this publicly, at leadership meetings, spoke about this in the media. He specially brought it to the public, because it is hopeless to recruit the one who is so transparent.

Yakov Krotov: What did they want from him, what, in fact, can a pastor do?

Ilya Kovalev: But this is a big riddle. The goal is incomprehensible. But the same picture constantly goes through all regions of our country-pastors are constantly trying to persuade something, to find out something.

Yakov Krotov: What can happen in the Christian parish, what can the FSB be interested in?

Natalia Krasnoslobodtseva: I don't know. But if people who consider our pastor Eugene a bad person delved into it, they would have to be disappointed. We help homeless people, help people get rid of alcohol and drug addiction, help women who suffer from domestic violence, street children ... We do it quite brightly and boldly, and I think that we are performing the commandment that Christ said: "I was in prison, you came and visited. I was sick, you came to me." All our Christianity in deeds. And I can’t say for the FSB, but I’m sure that if someone had a deeper situation, then the fiction would be evident. It is very sad that it is so now.

Yakov Krotov: After all, it is also said in the Gospel that a strange person who wants to build a house will not calculate his capabilities. In 2010, there was already the first Maidan, and the pastor from Ukraine, and there were already rolled. Have you once taken into account this factor?

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: He is married to a Muscovite, and many who, when this situation took place, asked: "Why did he not make citizenship in time?" - In the first three years, when they got married. He replied: "We did not think that it would be, then there was a good relationship between Russia and Ukraine." And now the situation has arisen.

Ilya Kovalev: In my opinion, since 2011 or 2012, the pastor began to actively deal with the issue of citizenship when pressure has already begun. They submitted several times, but over and over again the FMS lost his documents, there were some strange interventions, it was constantly transferred and eventually reached the climax.

Yakov Krotov: In the average Orthodox parish, also 500-600 people, the temple will not accommodate anymore, but there it would not occur to people to engage in all this charity, because there is a state that takes care of people, you can throw money and transfer money to the state or the state-owned fund.

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: This is sad when we know what the situation is in the world, and we do not react. NPOs, good deeds - we do so, and we do the right thing.

Yakov Krotov: But you are talking about the rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts in private apartments. What normal person will let a drug addict or alcohol into his apartment?

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: The person who passed it. So I have never been connected with drugs, but my husband is in the past drug addict, and they helped him. He was born again for life, he is adequate, normal, healthy, social, he is free from drugs for ten years thanks to the CTC. And it helps such people. If a person has gone through something and knows what it is, he can help, and it's great. Seeing a drug addict, I feel fear, but when I see how my husband listens to them, how he can wash their legs, I think: this is a clear God of love, which is a person in this case through who has passed.

And, I agree with you, this is strange. People mostly live for themselves. And, of course, you won’t bring a drug addict into the house where your wife and children live, you need to create a convenient environment for this to accept, place, take care.

Yakov Krotov: But the authorities, residents are usually unhappy if poor fellow are drawn to the center. They are indignant even because in winter they are allowed to warm up in the subway.

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: You know, now there is a trial, they call witnesses, and there the neighbors say: "Beautiful people."

Two years ago, the FSB began to communicate very actively with our pastor

Ilya Kovalev: Two years ago, the FSB began to very actively communicate with the pastor. The parishioners of our church were opened by centers to restore and adapt former alcohol and drug addicts, these are small residential premises, where 12-16 people gathered. Premises are rented in residential buildings, and these small groups live there. And then one day, January 7, 2017, on Christmas, on a fierce frost at night a raid occurred at the same time in five apartments ...

Yakov Krotov: And who pays for all this? This is a lot of money.

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: someone’s son is a son, and mother says that she needs to make an inner iron door to the room, because the drug addict already does not care about valuables, his mother, wife and children, he just to get drugs, and she is so glad that there is someone who can help ... There are free help for people who have already endured and sold people who have supported such centers-who are pies, who are pies, who are pies, who are pies, who are pies. how. If a mother can give three thousand for products, she helps, but cannot, so can’t. And when you see a person ... he was missing, and today he is alive, healthy and adequate, and you understand that it is worth it, and you want to participate in this.

Ilya Kovalev: And now there was a raid at the same time five such apartments - supposedly on the complaint of one of these apartments. 60 people were detained, both rehabilitants and the guys who were involved in them, they were taken to the police and began to process. For three days, processing was underway, and out of 60 people, on the third day, they testified that they were supposedly abducted and kept against their will. 56 people did not support their position, but for the third year the court is underway, and all this is so absurd ... Of these four people, one is now sitting in prison for the distribution of drugs, the second - for storage in especially large sizes, the third has passed a psychiatric hospital. And the fourth, the youngest, now gives evidence. 56 people said that there was nothing like this. The cameras show that these four went out into the courtyard, walked absolutely freely, were in shopping centers, that is, it is all simply absurd and stupid.

Yakov Krotov: At what point was the pastor transferred from a witness to the accused?

Ilya Kovalev: He does not go through this matter.

Yakov Krotov: Why then did he leave the country?

Ilya Kovalev: When, thanks to the testimony of four people, five parishioners of the church were detained, from the very first day they began to be processed, convincing to testify that they allegedly held and abducted drug addicts by order of Evgeny Peresvetov. How did it all end? The pastor was supposed to make a planned departure as a citizen of Ukraine, he crossed the border, he and his wife went to rest, and when they returned back, he was no longer allowed into the country due to administrative fines for supposedly dirty numbers by car. He had a RVP, and he was deprived of this. Then Olya, his wife, sued ...

The real horror is that Olga de facto disabled, now draws up disability, she has serious kidney problems, one kidney does not work, the second is in a pre-dialy state. They have two children, Russian citizens, a spouse - a citizen of Russia, she is in serious condition, and her husband is not let into the country. It's just cynical!

Yakov Krotov: Are the services pass?

Ilya Kovalev: Yes.

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: For five months, the pastor has not been in the country, but the church has existed.

Yakov Krotov: How to glorify in such a situation, what to praise for?

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: We praise God, pray for the pastor, I personally pray for his protection, protection.

Ilya Kovalev: The Bible says: "They drove me, they will drive you too." This is the fate of any Christian. Even an Orthodox Christian, it seems to me, in one way or another worries some persecution for his beliefs, including at his work, but they still need to be defended.

Yakov Krotov: And you do not agree to reduce charity.

Ilya Kovalev: No, in any case!

Natalia Krasnoslobodtseva: This is a very strange price. If suddenly there is such a message from the other side so that we stop in good deeds, and that would be a bargaining coin for the fact that the pastor will return ...

Yakov Krotov: I am afraid that this dream will have to say goodbye, because the KGB is a KGB, and you will be persecuted. But we know from the history of the church that from such persecution the church comes out strengthened and reinforced, and someone else comes to the place of the expelled. Let's hope that the Lord will restore ... And they called you?

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: In the FSB - no. But I am conducting a charity project, we help women and children affected by domestic violence, and I had to visit Petrovka, 38 about what I am doing.

Yakov Krotov: Well, Petrovka is not a Lubyanka. Threatened with dismissal from work?

Ilya Kovalev: There are parishioners who are threatened to dismiss leading positions. The FSB hints to leaders: "It is not worth these people to work for you."

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: They also called the hall where the church holds worship, and ordered us to be expelled. We rent a club, there is an agreement, and we are doing everything within its framework, and someone calls and says: it is necessary that they do not give the hall.

Ilya Kovalev: There are also ministers who are deprived of RVP, temporary residence permits.

Yakov Krotov: Your Church is already 12 years old, and still there are no indigenous ones, have not grown their own, have not been ordered?

We Christians, to some extent, cosmopolitans, despite the fact that we love our country very much

Ilya Kovalev: A lot of their own. For example, I am a minister of the church.

Natalya Krasnoslobodtseva: I am a Russian woman, but Moscow is full of visiting people, they also have them, this situation is more affected by them.

Ilya Kovalev: Yes, they are used as a weak link, one might say, take hostages. There are few of them, but these are very bright ministers.

Yakov Krotov: I recently read a letter related to the conflict between the Adventists and the Baptists, and it began with the fact that it was Ukrainian Protestants for many decades that brought the light of the Gospel to Russia, and now they feel devoted. Do you have the feeling that there is a course on such an "iron curtain" between Christians of Russia and Ukraine?

Ilya Kovalev: I do not think that the point is. We Christians, to some extent, cosmopolitans, despite the fact that we love our country very much.

Natalia Krasnoslobodtseva: What are Cosmopolitans?

Ilya Kovalev: This is when you love your country, but if God sends you to save the Japanese, then you will go to save the Japanese or you will love China ...

Yakov Krotov: Cosmopolitan is the apostle Pavel. There is neither a Jew nor the Greek in Christ, and this is called cosmopolitanism. “Cosmo” is the universe, the “policy” is a city, that is, you are a citizen of heavenly Jerusalem, and in the heavenly Jerusalem there is no office, and this is very upset.

Ilya Kovalev: First of all, we are citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom. And I do not believe that such a conflict on the basis of nationality can be created between Christians, I do not see it.

Yakov Krotov: What if this is a conflict between unbelievers and believers, and those people who begin to attack, attack selectively? Your Church is doing a great job of helping people, shows that your faith is not dead, it is with business, and this causes Satan’s resistance, which wants Vera to remain a sign and not germinate deeper.

Ilya Kovalev: I can subscribe to these words.

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  Yakov Krotov

  Historian and priest, leading Radio Freedom Radio "Between Vera and Belief"

  ykrotov@yahoo.com