The Soviet Union ended its war time truce against the Russian Orthodox Church, and extended its persecutions to the newly communist Eastern bloc: "In Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and other Eastern European countries, Catholic leaders who were unwilling to be silent were denounced, publicly humiliated or imprisoned by the communists.
Following the end of World War II, the Soviet Union broke its truce with the Russian Orthodox Church and began persecuting religious leaders in newly communist Eastern European countries. In Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, and other nations, Catholic leaders who resisted the communist regime were subjected to public humiliation or imprisonment.