Earthquake Report from Adventist Pastor in Kamchatka

31 July 2025

With the help of Canadian pastor Alex Golovenko, we have a communique from a pastor in Kamchatka, Russia, reporting on the effects of the earthquake there. This is from Pastor Evgeny Solomko:

Greetings, dear brother! We greet you and all our brothers in Canada with the peace and love of the Lord. Many thanks for your concern, your support, and your prayers.

By God’s mercy, the church did not even shake during the powerful earthquake. There was only a very slight vibration felt on the floor and walls. The buildings in the city also remain intact—Soviet construction is proving its worth. The only building [in the town] that was partially damaged was a [public] kindergarten. Praise God, at the time there were no children or staff inside.

Church members are safe. Everyone who needed help has received appropriate support. Glory to Christ for everything! Warm greetings from Kamchatka to your congregations. We are waiting for Christ together! Maranatha!

Kamchatka is a peninsula in far eastern Russia, on the boundary of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where major tectonic plates meet. The Wednesday morning earthquake in Kamchatka was registered at 8.8—among the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. While it generated some tsunami waves that were experienced around the Pacific, the damage on the land was minimal, and no deaths were reported. However, the region has had multiple earthquakes and tsunamis through the years; an earthquake in 1952 killed 2,336 people.

Late reports say that the earthquake may have contributed to the eruption of a the Klyuchevskoy volcano in the region, the largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere, just hours after the earthquake.