Two American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were detained in Russia Wednesday, the nation’s Foreign Ministry said.
“We can confirm information about the detention of a few U.S. citizens,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The pair are being held in the southern Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, a State Department official confirmed.
“We can confirm two U.S. citizens were detained in Novorossiysk, Russia,” the Department said in a statement Wednesday. “We have no higher priority than the protection of U.S. citizens abroad. Due to privacy considerations, we do not have any additional information at this time.”
The Russian government has been cracking down on registered religious groups in the last few years, with the LDS church being one of Putin’s main targets. Mormons have maintained a sizable presence in Russia — it’s been one of the more popular destinations for two-year missions, which most Mormon men go on starting at age 19.
