While the new Russian law is trying to push the evangelical church back behind the walls again as the Soviets did, Russian Christians are stunned.
The Christians are grappling with a new law that effectively makes it illegal for them to share their faith, preach or pray outside of officially designated sites.
It came so quickly, so unexpectedly,” said Sergey Rakhuba, president of Mission Eurasia, an organization that equips young church leaders in countries in the post-Soviet world and Eurasia.
Rakhuba says the new law brings back memories of repressive laws passed by former Soviet dictators Nikita Khrushchev and Joseph Stalin.
