The screening of the film “No God but Theirs” gathered dozens of viewers and was followed by a discussion with its author, journalist Danylo Mokryk.
The film exposes the persecution of Christian communities in Melitopol under Russian occupation, detailing arrests, abductions, interrogations, church closures, and the deportation of clergy. The investigation is centered on the testimonies of Dmytro Bodyu, bishop of the Pentecostal “Word of Life” church; Baptist pastors Mykhailo Brytsyn and Ihor Ivashchuk of the “Blahodat” church; and Greek Catholic priest Oleksandr Bohomaz.
“They gave me two days: ‘Get out, or we will kill you.’ I asked them, ‘Why are you closing the church? This is an ordinary Protestant church - you have plenty of them in Russia.’ Their reply has stayed with me: ‘Those Protestant churches in Russia are temporary. There will be only the Orthodox Church. We will bring order here, and then we will bring order there as well,” recounts Mykhailo Brytsyn, pastor of the “Blahodat” Baptist church, in the film.
“To remain faithful to Ukraine was the same as remaining faithful to the truth and to God,” says Oleksandr Bohomaz, a Greek Catholic priest who was deported from Melitopol after he refused to disclose parishioners' confessions to the occupying authorities.
The filmmakers not only documented the victims’ real-life stories but also publicized the names of occupation administration officials involved in the repressions. Among them are collaborators Yevhen Balytskyi and Artem Sharlai, who directly implemented the policy of banning “undesirable” churches and initiated the persecution of clergy.
“This film is about people who have resisted and continue to resist the occupation in their own way. And it is about those who are trying to crush them. It is very much needed for us here, but it is also important to show it abroad,” said the film’s author, Danylo Mokryk.
The event was co-organized by the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary, the NGO “Dialogue in Action,” and The Kyiv Independent, with Dmytro Fedorchak serving as moderator.
Watch the English version of the film “No God but Theirs” on YouTube.
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