About: Romanian Orthodox Mission in Transnistria

The Romanian Orthodox Mission in Transnistria was established in the context of Romania's participation in the invasion of the Soviet Union as an ally of Nazi Germany. On 22 June 1941, German armies with Romanian support attacked the Soviet Union. German and Romanian units conquered Bessarabia, Odesa, and Sevastopol, then marched eastward across the Russian steppes toward Stalingrad. On 15 August 1941, the established a mission in Transnistria, the Romanian-occupied part of the Soviet Union. The assumption was that Soviet atheist rule had destroyed the Russian Orthodox Church and the Romanian Orthodox Church took it upon itself to "re-evangelize" the locals.