Story number 1 for 24 Mar 2000

We begin today in Russia where final opinion polls predict an outright win for Acting President Vladimir Putin in Sunday’s presidential election. Russian Ministries’ Peter Deyneka agrees. However, Deyneka says it’s unclear what that means for religious freedom there. “Even western government leaders are not sure who Putin really is and what his future aims are. Although Putin is a former KGB Director, Putin has made some reassuring promises about respecting the freedoms of all believers. But, at the same time he has cracked down severely on media freedom and he says said that reform should be carried out under tough control.” Deyneka says Russian Ministries is prepared if religious freedom is curtailed. “Regardless of what follows the election, the future of the evangelization of Russia is now more possible that ever because thousands of new Russian Christian leaders are being trained.”