Russia Drops a 1,500 Pound Bomb on a Ukrainian Pentecostal Church

Transfiguration of the Lord Pentecostal Church in Sloviansk Hit Again as Pavenko Family Loses Yet Another Sanctuary

Russia has bombed the Transfiguration of the Lord Pentecostal Church in Sloviansk, Ukraine for the second time, this time with a guided glide bomb believed to be a KAB 500S E carrying up to 1,500 kilograms of explosives. The blast on 25 April 2026 at 6 a.m. collapsed half the roof, destroyed 80 percent of the doors, and shattered every window.

By 11 a.m. the same morning, 170 churchgoers had arrived to clear debris. By Sunday they were holding worship services again in the rubble.

Russia Targets Ukrainian Pentecostal Church for Second Time Since 2014

The Transfiguration of the Lord Church first sustained damage in 2014 when Russian backed paramilitaries took the city.

They abducted Pastor Alexander Pavenko's two sons, Ruvim and Albert, both pastors, during a service. The Russians tortured and killed them. Pavenko then lost a third son, Yaroslav, a military chaplain, in February 2023.

"It was one of those guided glide bombs they can launch from tens of kilometres away," said volunteer chaplain Mikhail Pavenko, the pastor's nephew. Film producer Colby Barrett called the strike part of "a real uptick of Russia going after churches," demonstrating increased Kremlin hostility toward Pentecostal Christians. Repair costs are estimated at 500,000 dollars.

The Crusader's Opinion

Pastor Pavenko has buried three sons. The Russians killed them all. Now the same Russian state that murdered his children has dropped a 1,500 pound bomb on his sanctuary, the same building they shelled in 2014. And by 11 a.m. that morning his congregation was already there with brooms. This is the persecuted Church of Christ. Defiant. Worshipping. Refusing to die. Pavenko is a Pentecostal saint of the modern age, and his suffering is the suffering of every Ukrainian believer Russia has tried to crush. Stand with Ukraine. Stand with the persecuted. The Resurrection is real, and so is the wreckage Putin leaves behind.

Take Action

• Donate: Voice of the Martyrs Ukraine response, supporting bombed congregations
• Support: The Transfiguration of the Lord Pentecostal Church rebuild fund via Ukrainian Pentecostal networks
• Contact: Your senator demanding sustained military and humanitarian support for Ukraine
• Pray: For Pastor Alexander Pavenko, his family, and his rebuilding congregation
• Share: The Pavenko story and ask "Where is the global outrage when Russia bombs churches?"