JP Lindsley | Journalist@JPLindsley
Sep 7
13 tweets
1/ On Sunday mornings, Russia sends bombs.
Ukraine sends prayers.
Russia is not a Christian nation.
In fact, by practice, it's Islamic.
And here’s the kicker: Ukraine has more churchgoers than Russia—even though Russia is 4x bigger.
Putin lies. Numbers don't 
2/ In Russia, at least 1 in 3 active worshipers are Muslim, who make up about 10% of the population.
Meanwhile, not even 6% of Russian Orthodox worship weekly.
The churches have been empty since the Bolsheviks’ 1917 war on Christianity.
3/ On Christmas Day 2023, only 1.4 million Russians attended church—barely 1% of the population.
Instead >90% of Russians celebrate New Year’s Eve—the country’s true “holy day.”
Russia's "holy tradition" is a Hunger Games style New Years' state-approved variety-show
Russia's "holy tradition" is a Hunger Games style New Years' state-approved variety-show 
4/ Now look at Ukraine.
Among Ukrainian Greek Catholics, at least 50% attend weekly Mass, with more on holidays—nearly 10x higher than Russia’s Orthodox.
Under Soviet rule, Greek Catholicism was illegal. The people kept the faith alive underground. Today it thrives.
5/ Who are the Greek Catholics?
They're Ukrainians in union with the Pope, rooted in western Ukraine around Lviv.
Banned by the Soviets, they worshiped underground in homes and forests.
Today they’re Ukraine’s most church-going community.
6/ Ukraine’s Orthodox are recovering from decades of Moscow control.
In 2018, Constantinople recognized the Kyiv church's total independence from Moscow.
Today, 60% of Ukrainians identify as Orthodox. Unlike Russia, their numbers are in revival, especially in wartime.
7/ And here’s the surprise:
A 2019 survey found 37% of Ukrainians regularly attend church vs 6-7% in Russia.
That Easter, ~6.7 million Ukrainians filled churches— compared with only ~4.4 million Russians.
Ukraine's a smaller nation with more Christians than all of Russia.
8/ Don’t forget Ukraine’s Evangelicals.
From Kyiv megachurches to village chapels, Ukraine now has the largest Evangelical community in Eastern Europe.
Once persecuted by the Soviets, today they face new persecution from the invading Russian War Machine.
9/ In occupied parts of Ukraine, Russia persecutes Ukrainian Greek & Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and Evangelicals, with churches burned & banned.
The film Faith Under Siege, by @Steven Moore & co., shows how Moscow directly targets Ukraine's Christians:
faithundersiege.com
10/ Is it any wonder that in the Vatican-approved 1917 Fatima apparitions—which some even link to UFOs—the Virgin Mary gave three Portuguese shepherd children this warning:
If Russia is not converted, "she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars"
11/ This Sunday morning, after 800 Russian drones and missiles came down, sleepless Ukrainians still made their way to church—their resistance.
Russia bombs Ukraine daily.
Ukraine worships Jesus daily.
And yet how many Americans still think Russia is a Christian nation?
12/ I'm JP Lindsley, the only American reporting from Ukraine every day of the full-scale resistance to Russia's War Machine.
Follow for more such reports—and subscribe here:
lvivnow.substack.com 
Some sources:
JP Lindsley | Journalist
@JPLindsley
🎙️Ukrainian Freedom News | American in Ukraine every day since 2022. | On a long truth-seeking journey that began in the dark halls of American power
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