Another One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Vyselki Given Suspended Sentence

Sergey Dvurechenskiy, 50, has been sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence. This decision was announced on December 9, 2025, by Judge Yelizaveta Proskuryakova of the Vyselki District Court. This is already the fifth verdict she has delivered in a case involving Jehovah's Witnesses.

Sergey, a native of Vyselki, has worked as a construction worker for more than 20 years. At one of the court hearings, character references written by his employer and a neighbor were read aloud. According to Sergey's recollection, after the hearing the prosecutor called them "characteristics of an ideal person." "Fulfilling their duties is one thing, but as for their personal qualities, I see wonderful traits in them," the believer said about his attitude toward the participants in the process.

In Vyselki, similar cases have been opened against 14 more believers. Most of the charges are based on the testimony of a secret witness under the pseudonym "Pastor," who secretly recorded worship services on video. "He never showed up at the hearing," Sergey said. "He's doing his job for some reason—it's not for me to judge. And honestly, I feel no anger or resentment toward him."

The court spent more than a year reviewing the recordings of worship services. "I think it was good for both the judge and the prosecutor to hear them," Dvurechenskiy believes. "There were great things said about family and relationships. There's definitely nothing extremist in them."

The criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Vyselki has been ongoing since February 2022, when mass searches took place, including at Dvurechensky's home. Most cases against local believers have already resulted in guilty verdicts.