On October 28, 2021, the Supreme Court of Russia ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses who pray in groups are not committing a crime and therefore cannot be prosecuted, opening a loophole in Article 282.2 of the controversial Yarovaya Law. Now, the Russian political party New People, founded in January 2020 and considered “liberal,” has proposed draft laws in 2024 and 2025 aimed at restricting religious services, rites, and ceremonies within residential and non-residential buildings, thus limiting several inalienable freedoms, as illustrated in the following article by Human Rights Without Frontiers.
Draft law aims to ban religious activities in private homes in Russia
By Human Rights Without Frontiers — In 2024-2025, several legislative initiatives were submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation aimed at restricting the conduct of religious services, religious rites and ceremonies in residential and non-residential premises of apartment buildings. These initiatives have caused a significant public outcry and concern among religious associations and human rights organizations, since they potentially affect the freedom of conscience and freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and international law.
A policeman taking away a Jehovah’s Witness in handcuffs (Credit: jw-russia.org)
2024 Legislative Initiative: Muslims targeted
On October 30, 2024, a bill was submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation to amend Article 16 of the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations". The initiators of the document were lawmakers from the New People party (*).
The bill provided:
- a ban on holding worship services in residential premises of apartment buildings;
- a ban on the systematic conduct of divine services in residential premises.
The explanatory note to the bill indicated that the current legislation does not contain restrictions on the use of non-residential premises of apartment buildings for religious purposes, which, according to the authors, is used by individual citizens and religious associations, violating the rights and comfort of other residents. A number of observers, including the REX publishing house, noted that in fact the initiative was aimed primarily at restricting the religious practices of Muslim communities.
Reaction of religious organizations to the 2024 Bill: All religions to be affected
According to the SOVA Research Center, the 2024 bill caused a significant public outcry. Representatives of various religious denominations pointed to its potential unconstitutionality.
Pastor Oleg Goncharov, Deputy Chairman of the Euro-Asia Division of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and co-chairman of the Advisory Council of the Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia, said that the proposed changes contradict the principles of freedom of conscience enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
On November 14, 2024, the head of the legal department of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Abbess Ksenia (Chernega), stressed that if the bill is adopted, "such religious practices as communion, extreme unction and other rites performed by clergymen in residential premises at the request of believers, including seriously ill and dying, will be under the threat of ban.
It was also noted that the adoption of the bill could lead to the closure of Orthodox house churches located in non-residential premises of apartment buildings. At the same time, representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church agreed with the concerns of the authors of the bill regarding the conduct of religious rites in such premises by groups of migrants who do not have the status of a legal entity.
The Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Asian part of Russia, Nafigulla Ashirov, pointed out that "prayer rooms in residential buildings are a forced measure due to the lack of mosques," writes Islam-today. According to the mufti, “the alternative should be the construction of new mosques, since it is their shortage that leads to the emergence of home prayer rooms. If, instead of temporary prayer rooms, which sometimes create inconvenience for residents, permits are given for the construction of official mosques, everyone will be fine.”
If services in residential premises are banned, without providing another space for worship, believers will continue to gather in residential buildings, but "unofficially and uncontrollably," according to the mufti.
Over the past 10 years, 25 Muslim religious organizations have been registered in the capital (about 40 in the Moscow region), but all attempts to build a new mosque, even in remote and abandoned areas, have remained unsuccessful, writes Novaya Gazeta.
For example, in Moscow and other major cities, Muslim communities have been unable to obtain permits to build new mosques for decades. The shortage of mosques is especially noticeable during holidays such as Eid al-Adha, when the streets and alleys around Moscow's four mosques full with hundreds of thousands of worshippers.
Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar also drew attention to the need to control what happens at meetings of believers, writes SOVA Research Center. In his opinion, this can be done in an apartment as successfully as in churches, but "on the condition that it is an official place where people gather for a religious ceremony." If gatherings in residential premises are banned, it will become much more difficult to control such gatherings.
2025 Legislative Initiative: a much more restrictive draft law
On June 16, 2025, members of the New People faction submitted again a bill to the State Duma of the Russian Federation to amend Articles 12 and 16 of the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations".
The purpose was to ban public worship in residential areas. Although the authors of the law are targeting Muslim migrants, its victims will be Christians, Buddhists, and new religious movements, Novaya Gazeta writes.
One way or another, the new law will affect almost all Protestants who are accustomed to informal ministry, including domestic service. Many Evangelical (Protestant) congregations do not have separate rooms for worship. This means that gathering in the house is logical and habitual for them.
Unlike the 2024 initiative, this bill provided for a broader ban on public worship, religious rites and ceremonies in both residential and non-residential premises of apartment buildings.
The explanatory note to the bill indicated that such events pose threats to public, fire and criminogenic safety, as well as violate the rights of residents, including in terms of ensuring the safety of children.
The current version of the bill, in full accordance with Soviet anti-religious practice, prohibits "the installation of religious organizations and their performance of religious services, other religious rites and ceremonies... in residential and non-residential premises located in residential (including multi-apartment) buildings". An exception is made for centralized religious organizations (such as the Russian Orthodox Church) and local (parishes) that are part of their structure, but on the condition that only "persons living in the relevant premises and houses" will participate in worship.
Christians will also become victims of the "anti-immigrant" law as a whole.
Evangelicals specifically targeted
For example, followers of the International Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (ECB). Refusal to register with the state has been part of their doctrine since Soviet times are particularly targeted. From the Soviet Union period to this day, they have always rejected state registration to keep their independence.
Over the past 30 years, many of them have built houses of prayer of impressive size, but all of them are private and located in residential areas. The gradual confiscation of such houses began in 2018 and is covered in details by the Department of Intercession of the ECB Churches (telegram channel - @otdel_zastupnichestva).
For example, on May 16, 2025, bailiffs sealed the prayer house of the ECB Churches in Kurganinsk (Krasnodar Territory). Community leaders are given an ultimatum: registration as a religious group, re-registration of the house as non-residential premises, coordination of missionary activities with the authorities. In addition, the pastors of the JSCC ECB are regularly fined for "illegal missionary activities," writes Novaya Gazeta.
Pastor of the Moscow Baptist Church Alexander Fedichkin notes: "The planned ban on holding services in non-residential premises located in residential buildings deprives believers of the right to freedom of assembly," he said. "It is in the interests of the state to create conditions for the comfortable existence of all organizations that care about their well-being, including Protestant churches."
The protest was voiced by a very high-ranking representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a member of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, pastor Oleg Goncharov:
"Adventists are categorically against this bill," the pastor said. "It violates the principles of freedom of conscience prescribed in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. If you follow the logic of the bill, then shops, clubs, restaurants, and Wildberries offices (Russian platform selling goods) should be removed from residential buildings."
Sergei Ryakhovsky, the leading bishop of the Russian United Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals), is also unhappy with the bill. He noted that the ban on holding religious services in non-residential premises of apartment buildings could seriously limit the opportunities of many religious communities, especially those that do not have their own places of assembly.
The Consultative Council of the Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia is actively engaged in dialogue with the federal government on this issue. In its address, the Council expressed deep concern, noting that the bill violates the rights of all believers and endangers the activities of not only Protestant churches, but also other denominations in the country.
The Council called for the bill to be withdrawn from consideration, stressing that non-residential premises in apartment buildings have been used for religious services for many years without widespread complaints.
The Russian Orthodox Church believes that the bill prohibiting religious rites in residential and non-residential premises of apartment buildings should be revised. The passage of this bill would otherwise lead to the closure of Orthodox house churches and jeopardize the conduct of religious rites at home at the request of seriously ill patients.
Assessment of the 2025 draft law by the authorities
On October 1, 2025, the federal government gave a critical assessment of the bill, pointing out that the proposed norms contradict Article 16, Part 2, of the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations", which directly allows worship and religious rites to be held in residential premises. It was noted that the draft law needs to be significantly revised.
According to information posted on the official website of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the bill was included in the preliminary program of the parliament for May 2026. At the same time, the specific content of possible new restrictions remains uncertain.
Regional initiatives
In December 2025, deputies of the State Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Bashkortostan (*) submitted to the parliament a regional bill regarding the legal status of prayer rooms – specially designated premises for prayer and religious practices.
In fact, the bill proposed to remove such premises from an alleged legal vacuum is said to strengthen the control over religious activities and prevent the possible spread of extremist ideas.
The State Assembly of Bashkiria proposed to oblige businesses that allocate premises for prayer rooms to register religious associations or delegate powers for their use to registered religious associations or groups. The corresponding draft amendments to the law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" were sent by the parliament of the republic for evaluation to the Council of Legislators of the country.
On January 23, 2026, a response to the bill was published by the Legal Department of the Federation Council Administration. It states that "the draft law in the proposed version does not allow to fully understand the meaning of the proposed changes due to their uncertainty," and "the concept of the bill seems legally unfounded."
On February 2, 2026, the Information and Analytical Department of the Federation Council gave its response to the initiative. The authors of the review also noted a number of legal inconsistencies and uncertainties, the SOVA Research Center writes.
(*) New People (Новые люди) is a registered Russian political party with a liberal-centrist orientation, active in federal and regional legislatures, seeking to appeal to voters interested in economic reform and new political voices. It was founded on 1 March 2020 by Alexey Nechayev, a Russian entrepreneur. The party entered national politics by winning about 5 % of the vote in the 2021 State Duma elections, which gave it 13 seats in the 450-member lower house of parliament.
(**) It is noteworthy that in the Republic of Bashkortostan (Russian Federation), which has a population of more than 4 million people, more than 60% profess Islam.
Source: HRWF
