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2024 ANNUAL REPORT - PEACE UNTO ALL

Writer: Walerian Dunin-BarkowskiWalerian Dunin-Barkowski
Feb 6

Updated: Feb 7


NPO “Friede Allen e.V.” (Germany, Hamburg, VR 25784)

Project “PEACE UNTO ALL”

Period: January 1 - December 31, 2024


 

1. Opening speech of the leader

Dear friends, benefactors, volunteers, beneficiaries and partners!

On behalf of the PEACE UNTO ALL team and the newly established non-profit organization Friede Allen e.V., I am pleased to present the first annual report on our activities for 2024. Our mission is to assist clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church and their families who have suffered for their anti-war, peacemaking stance expressed publicly after February 24, 2022.

Having decided to choose the path of peace, many of them were subjected to repression and church bans, which deprived them of the opportunity to worship and effectively left them without means of subsistence. Their feat is a testimony of Christian courage and faithfulness to the words of the Gospel: “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). We are convinced that such people should not be left in trouble, and therefore we have united to provide them with all possible support.

We hope that this report will show you the transparency of our actions, tell you about real stories of help and strengthen your trust in our work.

with botherly love in Christ,

Priest Valerian Dunin-Barkovsky,

Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Friede Allen e.V.”

Project “PEACE UNTO ALL”



 


2. About the project “PEACE UNTO ALL” and our mission

  1. Who we are

    • “PEACE UNTO ALL” is a team of like-minded people united by the idea of helping the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church who have publicly spoken out against the military actions initiated by Russia on February 24, 2022, and have been persecuted for this.

    • Our organization is officially registered in Germany, in the form of a non-profit association (e.V.).

    • Date of establishment of the NPO: 21.01.2024, date of official registration: 12.12.2024.

  2. Whom we help

    • Clergymen who have been expelled from ministry, banned from ministry, put out of office, or otherwise unjustly persecuted by church or civil authorities in the Russian Federation or other countries because of their anti-war beliefs.

    • Their families - wives, children, elderly parents, who found themselves without any means of livelihood due to the loss of sources of income from the breadwinner-clergyman.

  3. Our main activity

    • Targeted financial assistance on a regular basis (monthly payments to cover current expenses for housing, food, medicine).

    • Emergency payments in cases requiring urgent intervention (serious illness, threat of eviction, need for legal defense, etc.).

    • Information support and counseling for ministers (help with documents, finding housing, establishing contacts with local communities).

    • Platform for communication: an open platform for clergy to express their anti-war position and other spiritual and moral issues, “the voice of the anti-war church” through video, audio, text and other types of content. Participation and organization of events, speeches, conferences, independently and in cooperation with like-minded people

  4. Organizational structure

    • Chairman of the Board: Priest Valerian Dunin-Barkovsky (Germany).

    • Board of the NPO:

      • Archpriest Andrei Kordochkin (Germany),

      • musician Pavel Fakhrtdinov (France),

      • journalist Svetlana Neplich-Thomas (Germany).

    • Team members: editor-in-chief, content managers, web designers, communication service

    • All members of the team work as volunteers without receiving salaries.


 

3. Key results for 2024

  1. Number of beneficiaries: 39 people.

    • Among them are priests from different cities in Russia and other countries, as well as their families.

    • The geography of assistance includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Lithuania, France, Germany, Bulgaria and other countries where our beneficiaries were forced to move.

  2. The total amount of donations collected: 97,317 euros.

    • The sources of funding are exclusively voluntary donations from individuals and small partner foundations that share our values.

  3. Revenue structure:

    • Direct donations to beneficiaries: 59,829 euros (funds that were transferred directly from donors to the accounts of those in need with our accompaniment).

    • Donations to the general fund: 38,538 euros (these amounts were accumulated in general accounts for further centralized distribution).


 

4. Distribution of funds

  1. Regular support

    • Number of people receiving payments each month: between 20 and 27 in different periods.

    • Average (median) payout: about 300 euros.

    • These funds enable our beneficiaries to pay for housing, groceries, medicines and basic needs of their families.

  2. Emergency payments

    • Number of emergency cases: 5.

    • Total amount of emergency assistance: about 10,000 euros.

    • These are funds to cover critical situations (e.g. expensive medical operations, fines, emergency relocation, legal defense, etc.)

  3. Administrative and representation costs

    • Total: 1,300 euros.

    • Main items:

      • Conference organization (travel and accommodation of speakers, discussion of clergy support).

      • Legal fees (support of the NPO registration process).

    • Percentage of administrative costs of the total amount of funds raised: 1.34%

    • We have no expenses for office rent or salaries, so this indicator remains low.


 

5. Cooperation with other organizations


During the reporting period, we established cooperation with three charitable organizations (two in Europe and one in the CIS), which actively help our beneficiaries through targeted payments. The range of interaction includes:

  • Joint collections and checks for those in need,

  • Legal advice,

  • Making regular and emergency payments.



 

6. Transparency and documentation

  1. Accounting system

    • All transactions are recorded in a consolidated database

    • The transaction numbering system has not yet been implemented, but we plan to have it in place next year.

  2. Documents by beneficiary

    • For each beneficiary, we keep supporting certificates, statements and other materials to verify the validity of payments.

    • We are willing to provide anonymized reports (with confidentiality) to any donor upon request.

  3. Testimonials and feedback

    • We receive letters of thanks and testimonials of how our payments help clergy families survive in difficult circumstances.

    • With the consent of beneficiaries, their stories (without disclosing personal details where critical) may be published in our reports and materials.



 

7. Stories of help: examples


I. Story of Fr. Vadim (Kainsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church)

Archpriest Vadim Perminov, who had served in the Kaina diocese (Novosibirsk region) for nearly 30 years, was suspended after refusing to recite a “victory prayer” that contradicted his beliefs about the sinfulness of war. The bishop demanded unconditional agreement with the official line, transferred the priest to a remote rural parish, and then banned him from ministry altogether.

Despite the pressure, Father Vadim continued to communicate with his parishioners, publishing materials in our channels and maintaining his own blog. In 2024, the priest received regular support from PEACE UNTO ALL, which helped him to provide for his family and support like-minded people.

II. Story of Fr. Vladimir (Tula Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church)

Priest Vladimir Korolev served as rector of the Kazan Church in Tula for more than 15 years, organized a free school for children there, and was one of the first to sign the clergy's appeal for peace. After refusing to collect “funds for the needs of the SVO” and a visit to the FSB, he was removed from his position “for not conforming to the duties of the rector.”

Father Vladimir continued to serve for several months, but soon had to leave the country due to pressure. With the support of  PEACE UNTO ALL, the priest moved to an Eastern European country where he now serves in an independent church jurisdiction.

III. Story of Fr. George (Belarusian Orthodox Church)

Archpriest Georgy Roy is a Belarusian priest who was forced to leave his homeland because of his open disagreement with the violence in Belarus and his public criticism of Russia's military actions in Ukraine. After leaving the Belarusian Orthodox Church (where he was deprived of the opportunity to serve), he began developing a Belarusian Orthodox parish abroad and conducting services for Ukrainians in their native language.

The Russian authorities put him on a wanted list at the request of the Belarusian law enforcement agencies. Despite the criminal prosecution, Father Georgi continues to testify to the need for peaceful coexistence and opposes repression in Belarus. Since 2023, he is one of the participants of the project “PEACE UNTO ALL”, receiving the necessary support and maintaining the ability to carry out his pastoral ministry in the new conditions. Fr. George managed to move to the Lithuanian Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and regained his right to ministry.

IV. Story of Fr. Nicholas (Chelyabinsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church)

Priest Nikolai Platonov recorded an anti-war appeal during the first months of the armed conflict and called on all who had a conscience to leave Russia. Because of his stance, he came under pressure from the church leadership and threats from government officials. Fr. Nicholas was forced to wander around different countries, living on odd jobs. In Russia he was banned from ministry, and returning home became impossible.

However, in 2024 the situation changed for the better. Thanks to the support of benefactors and our organization “PEACE UNTO ALL”, Father Nikolai received a humanitarian visa in France, managed to restore the opportunity to serve in the Orthodox community and is finally looking to the future with hope

More stories on our website: https://www.mir-vsem.info/en/ispovedniki

Stories like these show how important it is for clergy to receive support and assistance from PEACE UNTO ALL. Thanks to this, many clergy go through the crucible of trials, maintaining a peacemaking attitude and trust in God's help.



 

8. Communication and Community Platform

  1. Website www.mir-vsem.info

    • Opened in October 2023, contains donation links and key project news and reports, updated regularly.

    • Statistics for the year:

      1. Page views: 37,933

      2. Site sessions: 21,633

      3. Unique visitors: 13,6294

  2. Telegram channel https://t.me/murvsem

    • Relaunched in July 2024 (due to technical reasons). Used as the main channel for publishing sermons, news, appeals for donations. On average there are 1-2 publications per day

    • Statistics for the year:

      1. Subscribers: 1,050

      2. Citation rate: 3.2

      3. Readability: 87.3%

      4. Content: 32 posts per month

  3. Youtube channel www.youtube.com/@letthepeacebeuntoall

    • Used for publishing exclusive materials, meetings organized by the project, author programs, sermons, talks, live broadcasts

    • Statistics for the year:

      1. Number of subscribers: 2160

      2. Number of materials: 41

      3. Number of views: 127 thousand

  4. Other formats



 

9. Main activities and events of the year


  1. January 2024: Establishment of the NPO “Peace unto All” (Friede Allen e.V.)

    • Launching the process of charitable recognition and registration

  2. February 2024: Murder of Alexei Navalny

    • The broadcast of the memorial service in Düsseldorf organized by PEACE UNTO ALL with the support of “Novaya” was watched by more than 650 thousand people.

    • The appeal for the release of Alexei Navalny's body for Christian burial and funeral, launched by “PEACE UNTO ALL” at the request of FBC, was signed by Orthodox priests, laymen and Christians of other denominations - a total of 4,715 people. The body was given to Alexei's mother, the authorities allowed only church rites to be held.

  3. March-April 2024: the intensification of repression and our first victories

    • The trial of Archbishop Victor (Pivovarovarov), the elder is sentenced to a fine unaffordable for the community, PEACE UNTO ALL collects a record amount of 150,000 rubles in a month and a half.

    • Launch of PATREON platform for regular donations in response to a significant increase in the number of anti-war confessors

    • Publication by PEACE UNTO ALL of the transcript of the trial of the priest who refused to read the “prayer for the victory of Holy Russia” causes a great resonance in the media.

    • First restorations by the Patriarchate of Constantinople of illegally exorcized clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church

  4. April-June 2024: Development of the organization, the first events

    • Organized by PEACE UNTO ALL, Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev's speech in Cologne and Düsseldorf

    • Exclusive interview of political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza from prison to PEACE UNTO ALL.

    • Recognition of the “PEACE UNTO ALL” NPO as a charitable and “public benefit” NPO in Germany

    • Participation of PEACE UNTO ALL representatives in the memorial service for murdered Alexei Navalny on his birthday.

    • Arrest of anti-war priest Archimandrite Theognost (Pushkov)

  5. July-September 2024: Achievements and Hopes

    • Restoration of priest Nikolai Platonov, the first confessor of the project, to the ministry

    • Release of Archimandrite Theognost (Pushkov) with the active participation of volunteers and like-minded people of the project.

  6. October-December 2024: We are one year old! Let's continue on our way!


 

10. Plans for 2025


  1. Finalize formal procedures

    • Finalize registration formalities, open a full-fledged NPO bank account for interest-free collection of donations.

  2. Attract major sponsors and grants

    • Expand geographical and financial opportunities to help even more priests and their families.

  3. Develop volunteer support

    • Consider reimbursing volunteer expenses to improve coordination and increase effectiveness.

  4. New formats

    • Organize conferences, speeches, meetings to share experiences and draw attention to the problems of persecuted clergy.

    • Raising public awareness of the problem of repression against clergy with an anti-war stance.



 

11. A word of thanks to donors and volunteers

We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has supported our project “PEACE UNTO ALL”. Without you, hundreds of clergy and their families would remain “invisible”, deprived of their livelihood and the belief that their sacrifice for peace is not in vain.

We especially want to thank all the volunteers who sacrifice their time and skills. After all, our common labor is the service to the world to which the Lord Jesus Christ calls us. We hope that next year we will continue to strengthen our cooperation and expand the scope of our help.



 

12. Contacts and how to support

If you have any questions, ideas about cooperation or would like to make a donation, please contact us in any convenient way. We would be happy to support you in any way we can!


Conclusion

The first year of our work for the benefit of the “confessors of peace” in the Russian Orthodox Church has shown how important and in demand this help is. Your donations have saved dozens of families, helped to pay for housing, food, medicine and to keep faith in the triumph of good. We believe that with our joint efforts we can continue to support those who risk their lives and ministries to profess the Gospel peace and the value of human life.

With deep respect and love to you,

PEACE UNTO ALL Team


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