Aleksandr Dolganov with his wife, Mariya, April 2026
Aleksandr Dolganov with his wife, Mariya, April 2026
On April 17, 2026, Aleksandr Dolganov was released from the penal colony, where he had been serving a sentence because of religious persecution. Upon his release the 37‑year‑old was met by his close family — his wife, Mariya, and his father.
Aleksandr is from Tolyatti. From an early age he was interested in radio electronics and later trained as an electrician. These skills proved useful in the penal colony, where Aleksandr was assigned work as an electrician. In addition, he helped with various maintenance tasks to keep the prison facilities in working order. The believer earned a good reputation: he was respected both by fellow inmates and by the administration.
Aleksandr was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for taking part in meetings for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses. He actually spent a little over 1.5 years in the penal colony; before that, he had been held for about 5 months in a pretrial detention center and nearly 3 months under house arrest. After being transferred to penal colony No. 10 in Volzhskiy (Samara Region), Aleksandr was not given his letters for some time.
Back in court, Aleksandr Dolganov clearly stated his position, which he maintained throughout the entire prosecution: "Whatever verdict is announced, I will not renounce my faith. My faith is an inseparable part of my life; without it, life would lose its meaning."
