Extremist terror cells linked to ISIS have infiltrated Russia and occupied regions of Ukraine, posing a growing danger to Christian populations, according to a newly released annual report on religious persecution.
The study from Global Christian Relief documents how these terrorist networks have conducted fatal assaults targeting Christian congregations, clergy members, and houses of worship throughout the region. The organization warns this represents a growing trend of extremist violence against religious minorities.
The report states that “ISIS-linked groups have carried out lethal attacks affecting Christian communities, religious leaders, and places of worship—revealing an expanding pattern of extremist violence.”
Intelligence sources indicate these Islamic extremist factions are specifically targeting Russia in response to Moscow’s military assistance to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government throughout the ongoing Syrian conflict.
