Sergey Tolokonnikov, Muscovite, Released from Penal Colony — Now His Wife is Under Investigation for Her Faith
Moscow, Vladimir RegionThree years in a pre-trial detention center and nine months in a penal colony—the term of imprisonment of Sergey Tolokonnikov, 52, came to an end on June 27, 2025. On the day of his release, to the delight of the believer, he was met by his wife and many friends.
"I have mixed feelings... On the one hand, a sense of novelty, and on the other hand, I knew that I was about to come out. I knew that God would help me," said Sergey. His wife, Mariya Pankova, added: "Although Seryozha [diminutive of Sergey] and I are not yet fully aware of what is happening, I am euphoric!"
The separation was difficult for the couple. At first, eight months of bans on visits from the investigator, later brief meetings through glass and bars. "Life has paused... I turned out to be a bird without one wing, unable to fly," Maria said. Only a month before their release, the couple were able to see each other on a long date. "He looked like a younglike old man," she recalls. "He lost more than 20 kilograms, plus skin problems, indigestion."
"There were difficult moments," Sergey agreed, "but everything is not as terrible as I imagined for myself." As the believer noted, for him, a good attitude is half the success, therefore, once behind bars, he tried to find at least five positive moments in each day.
A few months before his release, Tolokonnikov learned that a criminal case had been opened against Maria as well. "I was very upset; I immediately began to pray to God for help. Okay, I have been through that, but for Masha — and for no one else — I don't want that. This is a very serious test, because I know what she can face from my own experience."
In October 2024, another defendant in Sergey's criminal case, Roman Mareev, was released. Anatoliy Marunov, 71, continues to serve his sentence in a colony in the Tambov region.
