Tens of thousands of Christians from churches independent of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch have been forced to flee occupied areas of Ukraine, according to a new report aired on America’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Simon Ostrovsky of PBS NewsHour said that since the start of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of the country, Russian forces have cracked down on evangelical congregations, Ukrainian Orthodox churches, and other denominations Russia sees as undesirable.

In a sweeping campaign that has seen at least 206 churches closed, destroyed, or expropriated, religious leaders have been kidnapped, tortured, and banished. Some 29 are believed to have been killed.

Meanwhile, the prominent religious freedom advocate, Nina Shea, says credible reports on Russia-occupied Ukraine validate the fears of Ukrainian religious leaders that a victorious Russia would “crush their religious institutions”.