Adventism in the Ukrainian SSR during the Post-War Period (1946–1952): Structure, Activities, and Relations with the Authorities (A Case Study of Vinnytsia Region).

The article contributes to the study of Adventism as a Protestant movement and examines its structure, activities, and interactions with Soviet authorities in the Ukrainian SSR during the post-war period (1946–1952). Particular attention is paid to the organizational characteristics and functioning of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (hereinafter SDA), which, among Ukrainian SSR regions, had the largest number of adherents in Vinnytsia region. In the present-day context of Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty, formation of the national church, and protection of religious freedoms for all citizens, particular attention should be paid to understanding the role of religious institutions in the development of a democratic state and civil society. This, in turn, requires a critical reassessment of the historical trajectories of Christianity and church institutions in Ukraine. During the Stalinist terror of the 1930s, the Adventist movement was subjected to severe persecution, leading to the execution of a significant number of both believers and clergy. Scholarly interest in the Adventist movement during the post-war period can be explained by the shift from an overt anti-religious policy to more manipulative forms of state control. The Bolshevik authorities employed a strategy of double standards: while formally permitting the existence of religious communities, they simultaneously pursued policies aimed at total oppression through various, often covert, mechanisms. These included strict monitoring of each community, especially those that had resumed or begun activities during the Nazi occupation, the creation of intelligence networks within congregations, scientific-atheist propaganda, refusal to register communities, bans on worship services, and the closure of prayer houses. Soviet Adventists were affiliated with the global Seventh-day Adventist Church, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Therefore, in the context of the emerging Cold War, and geopolitical, economic, and ideological confrontation between the USA and the Soviet Union that began in the late 1940s, their activities were viewed with heightened suspicion and hostility.