Case of Ishberdin and Starikov in Naberezhnye Chelny

Case History

In Kazan in June 2024, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case under Articles 282.2 (1) and 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code against unidentified persons, later two believers, Robert Ishberdin and Sergey Starikov, became defendants. In June, searches were carried out with the participation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB; Personal belongings were seized. In April 2025, both were interrogated and transferred to the status of accused, taking a recognizance agreement. Three months later the case went to court.
Timeline

  • #
    Case initiated Art. 282.2 (1) Art. 282.2 (2)

    Investigator for especially important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Republic of Tatarstan, Lieutenant Colonel of Justice Airat Giniyatullin issued a decision to initiate a criminal case against unidentified persons.

  • #
    Search

    Judge of the Sovetsky District Court of the city of Kazan Sergey Aptulin issues a search in the homes of Robert Ishberdin and Sergey Starikov.

  • #
    Search

    Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB conduct searches in the homes of believers. Sergey Starikov's investigative actions are led by police captain A. K. Zorin. Law enforcement officers behave politely, do not exert pressure. They confiscate communication equipment, flash drives, a book by religious scholar Sergei Ivanenko, and personal records.

  • #
    Interrogation Recognizance agreement

    Senior investigator of the Department for Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Republic of Tatarstan Airat Giniyatullin interrogates Robert Ishberdin and Sergey Starikov. Believers now act as accused. They take a recognizance agreement.

  • #
    Case went to court

    The case goes to the Naberezhnye Chelny City Court. It is assigned to Emma Kharkovskaya.

  • #
    Hearing in a court of the first instance Interrogation Expert studies with violations

    The prosecutor is interrogating prosecution witness Aleksandr Sagiyev and religious scholar Sergei Zheleznyak, assistant to one of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church for missionary work.

    Sagiyev is confused in his answers, since he is not personally acquainted with Robert Ishberdin and Sergey Starikov, but only heard about the accused from the words of others. He also says that Jehovah's Witnesses do not participate in military service, but clarifies that they agree to alternative civilian service.

    Zheleznyak baselessly declares that Jehovah's Witnesses oppose the state and its symbols. At the same time, he admits that he is not personally familiar with the beliefs of representatives of this religion, and learned this information from the Internet and works on sectology. When asked to cite facts, he says that he does not have them.

Back to top