New York, April 22, 2026
Dmitri Baranov, founder of the St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society, was attacked before a pro-life prayer service. Photo: Orthodox Christians Pro-Life
On Saturday, April 18, two supporters of Planned Parenthood attacked Dimitri Baranov, founder of the Orthodox Christians Pro-Life movement, in Queens, New York, stealing his phone.
Baranov had arrived early before a prayer service at an abortion facility in Queens “to spend more time trying to save lives and to share the truth about abortion with those who view it as healthcare.” He was approached by two women greeting patients at the entrance. “Planned Parenthood often places staff outside to welcome those coming for murder their preborn children so they do not change their minds when they see pro-life volunteers offering help and information,” the St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society writes in a press release sent to OrthoChristian.
Within minutes, a woman ran up shouting, “Did you record me?” She grabbed Baranov’s phone and threw it onto the sidewalk, damaging it badly. A man with her helped her leave the scene. Baranov tried to call the police, but his phone was damaged and repeatedly dropped the call.
About 15 minutes later, the same two individuals returned, demanding his phone. They physically attacked Baranov, tore his sign, took the phone from his pocket, and drove away.
Baranov explained why he chose not to fight back: “I did not want to injure anyone or cause harm. If that had happened, many people would have focused on that rather than on the fact that it would have been self-defense, and it could cast a shadow on the Christian witness to the value of human life.”
Photo: Orthodox Christians Pro-Life
He also noted that any physical contact on his part could have been used against him given his open immigration case. “There were surveillance cameras around, and I memorized the license plate, so I was confident the police would be able to identify the offenders.”
Baranov is the founder of St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society in New York and has been active in the pro-life movement for nearly two decades. He organized his first public pro-life action in 2006 in Tomsk, Russia, while a university student, and received a U.S. visa in 2013 specifically to participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
A moleben for the end of abortion had been scheduled for that day and was held about an hour after the attack, led by Fr. Micah Breland, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. After the service, Fr. Micah reminded participants that after Great and Holy Friday—when the Savior dies on the Cross—comes the day of the Resurrection, and that this hope is important to hold onto for those confronting the darkness of abortion.
Watch Fr. Micah’s homily on Instagram.
Police arrived as the service was ending. Officers spoke with Baranov, attempted to obtain footage from Planned Parenthood cameras without success, and took him to the 108th Precinct in Queens to give a statement to detectives.
The phone line of St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society (+1 917-428-3560) is expected to be restored within a week. The group can be reached in the meantime via social media: Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, Threads
Those wishing to support Orthodox Christians Pro-Life may donate through GiveSendGo, PayPal, or Cash App (OCProLife).
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