Russia accused of widespread religious freedom violations against Muslims
USCIRF recommended that Washington redesignate Russia as a “Country of Particular Concern,” US government’s most severe classification
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — Russia publicly projects itself as a supporter of Muslim causes abroad, but its treatment of religious minorities at home, particularly Muslims, tells a different story, according to the 2026 annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The independent U.S. government body says Russian authorities continue to impose tight restrictions on the country’s estimated 15 million Muslims, many of them members of indigenous communities, while broadly curtailing religious freedom and criminalizing peaceful religious activity.
The report paints a troubling picture of the situation, stating that hundreds of Muslims — including members of the Crimean Tatar community — have been imprisoned in recent years for actions such as possessing religious literature, discussing religion and politics, or alleged involvement in the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russia has designated a terrorist group.
According to the commission, Russian authorities routinely classify peaceful religious organizations as “extremist,” “undesirable,” or “terrorist,” allowing law enforcement agencies to prosecute members and suppress their activities.
Widespread prosecutions
The report also says other religious minorities face similar pressure. About 190 members of the religious group Jehovah’s Witnesses were in pretrial detention, imprisoned, under house arrest or subjected to forced labor during the reporting period for practicing their faith.
Authorities have also targeted missionaries from Tablighi Jamaat, followers of the Turkish theologian Said Nursi, practitioners of Falun Gong, members of the spiritual movement Allya Ayat, Scientologists and some Protestant groups, particularly those perceived as having foreign links.
USCIRF says Russian law enforcement agencies have used broadly defined anti-extremism laws to prosecute members of these groups, arguing that the measures allow the government to suppress independent religious expression.
Russian authorities have also prosecuted individuals under Article 148 of the Russian Penal Code, which criminalizes actions deemed insulting to religious feelings.
In one case cited in the report, a comedian was sentenced to forced labor in June after performing jokes authorities said offended Christianity.
The commission further notes that religiously restrictive laws have been enforced in territories of Ukraine currently under Russian control, where religious sites have reportedly been damaged and religious leaders persecuted.
International criticism
International bodies have repeatedly raised concerns over Russia’s record on religious freedom.
The United Nations and European human rights institutions have criticized the country for violations involving religious minorities, while the European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia in several cases to compensate applicants whose religious freedoms were found to have been violated.
The report notes that Russia is among the countries frequently accused by international observers of torture and medical neglect of religious prisoners.
USCIRF held a hearing in July 2025 examining religious freedom conditions in Russia and areas of Ukraine under Russian control.
US policy debate
The commission’s findings come amid shifting U.S. policy toward Moscow. According to the report, the administration of Donald Trump has sought to reengage with Russia in an effort to normalize relations and help mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, the administration has paused or eliminated some programs that documented religious freedom violations in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, the report said.
USCIRF recommended that Washington redesignate Russia as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) — the U.S. government’s most severe classification for nations that commit systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom.
The commission also urged U.S. authorities to impose targeted sanctions on Russian government agencies, including the Federal Security Service, and officials deemed responsible for serious abuses.
It further called on U.S. officials to raise religious freedom issues in bilateral discussions with Russian counterparts and allocate funding to monitor violations in Russia and territories under its control.
USCIRF said Russia’s actions in occupied parts of Ukraine — including the targeting of religious minorities and damage to religious sites — should also be treated as “entities of particular concern” under U.S. religious freedom monitoring mechanisms.
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