The regime persecuted the Christian churches

Claim

The regime persecuted the Christian churches

Established

Attested by reliable, concordant sources; no reasonable doubt.

True. The Orthodox Church is the first target of the anti-religious campaigns: by 1939, about 500 of more than 50,000 churches remain open. The same regime also persecutes Judaism and Islam.

Assessment

Evidence for

Mass closures of churches, priests and believers shot or deported.

Evidence against

None

Limits of the sources

The exact number of clergy killed remains to be established in this dossier.

Reasoning

An established fact. It does not support the original accusation: the persecution came from an atheist regime fighting all religions, including that of the Jews.

Confidence: High
Last reviewed: 9 November 2026

Assessment history (1)

9 November 2026Established
First published assessment (dossier version 1).

Were the Bolsheviks a Jewish government responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of Christians?