the Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014, this is not recognised by the Catholic hierarchy. The Latin Church Catholics of the Crimea therefore belong to the Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol which is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lviv. The Eastern Catholics belong to the Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Crimea, which is a suffragan of the archeparchy of Kyiv. Russian Byzantine Catholic Church Aside from the Latin Church, there is also the sui iuris Russian Byzantine Catholic Church (for Russian Catholics of the Byzantine Rite), which follows Russian ecclesiastical traditions and uses the Russian language, established in 1905. Leonid Feodorov was appointed exarch of the church by the Holy See, which was of the opinion that the Byzantine rite would be a better fit for the Russian people than the Roman. Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe There are 59,000 members of the Armenian Catholic Church in Russia. The government refuses for the most part to allow them to register their parishes. They are of the pastoral care of the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe. See also Michel d'Herbigny Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, Tomsk Church of the Assumption of Mary (Astrakhan) Sacred Heart Church, St. Petersburg References External links Moscow Archdiocese website Catholic Dioceses in Russia Russian Catholic Bishops Website Most Holy Mother of God Catholic church in Vladivostok Armenian Catholics of Russia History of Christianity in Russia Russia Russia