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Mormon missionaries in Russia will now be known as "volunteers" to comply with a new anti-terrorism law that puts new restrictions on religious practices.
The change is the first step as LDS leaders analyze how to keep several hundred missionaries there while honoring and obeying a law Russian President Vladimir Putin signed earlier this month, Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Tuesday.
Hawkins said an email is being sent to parents and relatives of missionaries in Russia, informing them of the designation change.
The rules, which take effect Wednesday, dictate that religious work can be done only in houses of worship and other related religious sites.
Mormon missionaries around the world often share their faith online or in a home to which they have been invited.
Independent LDS demographer Matt Martinich noted that Mormon missionaries go by the same "volunteer" moniker in Turkey and Belarus.
The Salt Lake Tribune contributed to this story.