Court in Vyselki Finds Five Jehovah's Witnesses Guilty. Among Them Are Believers with Disabilities and an 80-Year-Old

On June 3, 2026, the Vyselkovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory pronounced the verdict against five local believers. Judge Aleksandr Kalchevskiy found them guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization and gave them suspended sentences: Ushakov and Bochko — 6.5 years, and Vechkayev, Shubnikov, and Kolesnikov — 6 years.

Vitaliy Ushakov, 45, is a car mechanic; Yevgeniy Bochko, 51, does not work because he suffers from multiple sclerosis and is classed as disabled; Valeriy Vechkayev, 52, is a father of three, a musician, and a decorator; Vladimir Kolesnikov, 80, is a retired military officer; and Aleksey Shubnikov, 43, is severely disabled and has been confined to a wheelchair since the age of 16.

The criminal prosecution began in February 2022 with a series of searches: investigative actions affected at least 51 people; electronic devices, bank cards, and personal notes were seized from the believers. Ushakov was sent to a pretrial detention center for almost 7 months, then placed under house arrest and then under a ban on certain actions; Bochko, Vechkayev, Kolesnikov, and Shubnikov were also banned from a range of actions, including contacting witnesses in the criminal case and using communication services.

Vladimir Kolesnikov said: "We lived in Belarus for 4 years and then we were forced to return to Russia — my wife became seriously ill. She died in January 2020. Later I became seriously ill and ended up in hospital; I do not remember everything (stroke). A search took place 8 months later at my home... The husband of my wife's daughter, Viktor Spirichev, and I were placed under investigation on the same day."

In court, the defense repeatedly pointed out violations committed during the trial. For example, the experts analyzed materials other than those presented by the investigator. Aleksey's lawyer noted another violation regarding the case materials: "Without the knowledge of the defense, 154 pages were added, 105 pages were altered, and 18 pages were permanently removed."

In the Krasnodar Territory, so far 34 criminal cases have been initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses, and 18 believers have been sentenced to terms in prison.