ST. GEORGE — Due to uncertainty regarding the mounting tensions between Ukraine and Russia, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Monday that it was temporarily reassigning its missionaries to locations outside of the country.
“The decision is made out of an abundance of caution, as some government embassies in Ukraine are preparing to move certain personnel and their family members,” church spokesman Sam Penrod said in a press release.
Full-time missionaries serving in the Ukraine Dnipro and Ukraine Kyiv/Moldova missions will be reassigned to Moldova and other parts of Europe “away from any potential conflict areas.”
These actions come as President Joe Biden had 8,500 troops put on heightened alert to deploy to Europe in case the situation between Ukraine and Russia prompts a NATO response, according to the Associated Press.
Russia has put 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border with demands that NATO never allows it to join, along with other items. These actions have stoked concerns of possible invasion among American and NATO officials.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argues mounting tensions are being caused by the United States and its NATO allies, and not by what Russia itself is doing, according to the Associated Press.
Along with Latter-day Saint missionaries being pulled for the country, the United States issued an order Sunday for the families of personnel at its embassy in Ukraine to leave. Despite this, the embassy in the capital of Kyiv will remain open for now.
According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website, it has over 11,000 members in Ukraine spread across 48 congregations and is served by two church missions. The church also has a temple in Kyiv that was dedicated in 2010.
“We pray for a peaceful resolution to the tensions in Ukraine and look forward to when the missionaries may return,” Penrod said.
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