The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine discussed religious freedom during the war at the US Embassy

Russia is destroying not only cities: the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine discussed with the US strikes on religious communities.

The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Reuven Asman reported on June 22, 2026, about a meeting at the US Embassy in Ukraine with Spencer Chretien, a representative of the US Department of State. The rabbi’s message discussed the state of religious freedom in Ukraine, Russian attacks on religious sites, and the persecution of believers in temporarily occupied territories.

This meeting is important not only as a diplomatic episode. It shows that Russia’s war against Ukraine remains not only a military and political issue. It is also a war against communities, temples, synagogues, prayer houses, clergy, and the very human right to pray without fear.

According to the US Department of State, Spencer Chretien holds the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. His responsibilities include, among other things, issues of assistance to Europe and Eurasia, Holocaust topics, public diplomacy, and religious freedom.

For Ukraine, such a meeting is another confirmation: the issue of religious freedom during Russian aggression goes beyond the internal agenda. It becomes part of the international conversation about what exactly Ukraine is defending and what exactly Russia is trying to destroy.

What was discussed at the US Embassy

Moshe Reuven Asman noted that several key issues were discussed at the meeting:

• the state of religious freedom in Ukraine,
• Russian attacks on religious sites,
• persecution of believers in temporarily occupied territories, and
• the importance of US support for Ukraine.

He separately emphasized that today, different religious communities in Ukraine are experiencing the pain of war together, helping people, and praying for the victory of good over evil.

This is a very accurate formulation for a country where the war has long gone beyond the front line. Russian missiles and drones strike residential buildings, hospitals, energy facilities, schools, universities, museums, and religious sites. For believers, a destroyed temple or prayer house is not just a building. It is a place where the community gathered, buried, celebrated, supported the weak, saved refugees, and maintained the connection between generations.

In this sense, the meeting at the American embassy was not only a conversation about religion. It was a conversation about how the war breaks civil society and how different communities in Ukraine continue to hold together.

For the US, the topic of religious freedom is traditionally part of foreign policy. Therefore, Washington’s attention to this topic in Ukraine has a special significance. It is not only about military assistance but also about documenting how Russian aggression destroys the foundations of free life.

Who was at the meeting

Officially, the published message names the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Reuven Asman and the US Department of State representative Spencer Chretien. The photo of the meeting also shows representatives of different religious communities in Ukraine, but the full list of participants is not specified in the open publication. It is separately known that Chretien was in Ukraine as part of a US government delegation, which included representatives of the US Embassy responsible for aid programs.

Russia strikes at Ukraine’s religious life

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the full-scale Russian invasion dealt a heavy blow to religious freedom. The MFA reported 67 killed clergy from various churches and religious organizations, as well as more than 630 destroyed or damaged places of worship, including churches, mosques, synagogues, and prayer houses.

A more recent assessment by Mission Eurasia shows an even grimmer picture. The organization’s report for January 2026 states that as of December 16, 2025, 737 damaged or completely destroyed religious buildings were documented in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression. This list includes churches, monasteries, prayer houses, mosques, synagogues, and other religious community sites.

These numbers are important, but we must not lose sight of the people behind them.

Every destroyed temple is a community that has lost its center. Every damaged synagogue, mosque, or church is a blow not only to the walls but also to memory, to the usual rhythm of life, to the opportunity to gather together in a moment of fear.

NAnews — News of Israel draws attention to this topic precisely because for the Israeli audience, the issue of religious freedom cannot be abstract. Israel understands well that a religious community is not only about prayer. It is about helping the elderly, supporting families, working with children, preserving memory, mutual responsibility, and a sense of security.

Believers in occupied territories

In temporarily occupied territories, the situation is even more difficult. There, religious life often becomes the object of direct control. Communities are forced to re-register according to Russian rules, spiritual leaders are interrogated and intimidated, and believers can be persecuted under the pretext of fighting “extremism,” “espionage,” or “terrorism.”

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom noted that after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian and Russia-controlled structures introduced repressive laws that sharply restricted religious freedom and especially affected religious minorities. After the full-scale invasion, these violations continued and intensified: it involves the destruction of prayer houses, killings, torture, and persecution of religious leaders.

For Ukraine, this is not only a human rights issue. It is a matter of national survival.

Russia is trying to subjugate the occupied territories not only by military force. It changes schools, passports, media, laws, church structures, and public life. Therefore, pressure on religious communities becomes part of a broader policy — to erase Ukrainian identity and replace it with a system of fear and control.

Why this topic is important for Israel

For Israel, the meeting of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine with a representative of the US Department of State has several levels of meaning.

The first is Jewish. The Jewish community of Ukraine remains part of Ukrainian society during the war. It experiences shelling, evacuations, losses, humanitarian crises, and at the same time continues to help people. When Moshe Reuven Asman speaks about religious freedom, he speaks not only on behalf of one community. He speaks about the right of all people in Ukraine to maintain faith, dignity, and connection with the people.

The second is Israeli. For Israel, the topic of protecting religious sites, synagogues, memory, and communities is especially sensitive. A war that destroys places of prayer cannot be perceived only as “someone else’s problem.” When missiles and occupying power strike at religious life, it concerns the entire free world.

The third is political and moral. Russia tries to present itself as a defender of “traditional values,” but in practice, its war destroys temples, kills clergy, persecutes believers, and destroys places of worship of different denominations. This difference between words and actions should be understood in Israel as well.

NAnews — News of Israel sees in this story an important signal: Ukraine defends not only its borders. It defends the right of people to live without dictation, to pray without fear, to preserve their communities, and to pass on their identity to their children.

2026 as a symbol of freedom

In Moshe Asman’s message, two symbolic dates that are approaching were separately mentioned: 35 years of Ukraine’s independence restoration and 250 years of US independence.

Ukraine restored independence on August 24, 1991, so in 2026 the country approaches the 35th anniversary of this event. The US adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and in 2026 America will celebrate 250 years of its independence.

Against this backdrop, the conversation about religious freedom does not sound like a narrow topic of one meeting. It becomes a reminder: the freedom of the state, the freedom of the individual, and the freedom of faith are interconnected.

Today, Ukraine pays a huge price for the right to remain a free country. And that is why the support of Ukraine by the US, Israel, Europe, and the entire democratic world cannot be reduced only to a military formula. It is also support for a society that defends human dignity.

Ukraine as part of the free world

The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine thanked American friends for their attention to the issue of religious freedom, support for Ukraine, and understanding that today Ukraine defends not only its borders but also the values of the entire free world.

This thought should become the main conclusion.

Russia is destroying not only cities and infrastructure. It tries to break communities, subjugate faith to the control of the occupying power, erase identity, and deprive people of familiar places of support. Therefore, the conversation at the US Embassy in Ukraine was not a formality but part of a large international testimony about what is really happening.

For Israel, this topic is especially important. Where synagogues, churches, mosques, and prayer houses are destroyed, the war is no longer just for territory. It is against memory, faith, and human freedom.

That is why the defense of Ukraine today is also the defense of the right of people to pray, help each other, preserve their communities, and remain free even when evil tries to make fear the new law of life.