Jehovah's Witnesses From Komi Fined for Faith. A Woman, 72, and Three Men Must Pay from 300 to 500 Thousand Rubles

The Syktyvkar City Court found the believers guilty of extremism and imposed fines on them: Lidiya Nekrasova—300 thousand rubles, Aleksandr Kruglyakov—470 thousand, Aleksandr Ketov and Andrey Kharlamov—500 thousand rubles each. About 50 listeners attended the announcement of the verdict on December 22, 2025.

"I am proud that I suffered not as a hooligan, but as a Christian," Aleksandr Kruglyakov, 46, expressed his attitude to what was happening. "In the 1990s, I was a hooligan, I was even under trial. Many of my former friends are already dead." He believes that studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses helped him radically change: "I stopped abusing alcohol, taking drugs, quit smoking, stopped stealing and getting into fights . . . Such changes helped me stay alive."

Aleksandr spent almost two months in the pre-trial detention center. His bank account, like the accounts of other defendants in the case, was blocked. Aleksandr lost his job and could not find a new one. His wife, who needed expensive treatment, was forced to provide for the family alone. Other believers' property was seized.

A pensioner Aleksandr Ketov, 57, who spent 2 months under house arrest, described his internal state as follows: "This is an unpleasant feeling, since you did not violate anything, but you have to sit at home waiting for an unfair verdict."

In his final statement, Andrey Kharlamov, 54, said: "I felt like a person without rights. They called me a criminal and an extremist, placed me under house arrest, threatened me, saying: "You will go to jail", blocked my accounts, and arrested my apartment. All petitions that were filed were rejected by the investigator. It was the first time I encountered such an attitude towards myself as a believer, since I lived quietly, peacefully, did not conflict with anyone, did not quarrel with anyone."

In January 2026, Lidiya Nekrasova will turn 73. During the persecution, she experienced not only the hardships of the investigation and trial, but also a personal tragedy—her husband died last year. According to her, caring people helped her cope with the difficulties. "Fellow believers began to call from different places, whom I did not even know. We visited with flowers, invited us to visit, where we ate sweets, sang songs together," she said.

"In total, I received about 1500 letters from 42 countries," says Aleksandr Kruglyakov with gratitude for his support. "It was a breath of fresh, love-soaked air. Sometimes I received up to 125 letters a day."

Sergey Ushakhin did not wait for the end of the trial. He had a disability due to a heart condition. The commission of the Ministry of Health recognized that the believer needs special treatment. In August 2023, a month after receiving the commission's conclusion, Sergey died. Shortly before his death, the believer shared: "I got very warm news from my friends. They write that they always remember me, how my voice comforted them in difficult times, and now it encourages and warms them."

The persecution of the five Jehovah's Witnesses began with searches in 2021. A year later, the criminal case against them went to court, and the process stretched for almost 4 years. Believers do not agree with the decision of Judge Yevgeniy Sazhin. In total, 11 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted in the Komi Republic.