Single Mother in Birobidzhan Convicted for Participating in Religious Meetings

On August 4, 2026, the Birobidzhanskiy District Court announced the verdict against Irina Savkina, 49. Judge Olga Klyuchikova gave her a 2-year suspended sentence and 1-year restriction of freedom. "The review of my criminal case is completed, but I still cannot understand what I am guilty of and why I am considered dangerous," said the believer in her final statement.

At the very first hearing, Savkina commented that the case materials did not contain a single quote from her statements that would indicate hateful motives or extremist goals. Part of what Irina was charged with, namely "activity in various places," as mentioned in the case materials, occurs during a period when she was undergoing treatment following a leg fracture. "Who would be harmed by someone who could not get out of bed? — she asked the court. — I had great difficulty making it to the doctor; taxi drivers always pulled right up to my doorstep and helped me get in the car, seeing how hard it was for me. Yet the state prosecutor speaks of supposed extremist actions."

After recovering, Irina returned to her usual life, moved with her daughter to another city, and started working. In October 2025, the believer unexpectedly discovered that her accounts were blocked. Several weeks earlier, Dmitriy Yankin, investigator of the Investigative Committee, had initiated a criminal case against her for participating in the activity of a liquidated organization.

Irina had to return to Birobidzhan, where she remained under a recognizance agreement. This made it impossible for her to care for her elderly mother with a heart condition. "Nowadays [from official platforms] there is much talk about family and family values. However, while I am being prosecuted, I am not the only one who suffers, but also a child and an elderly person," said the believer.

Irina Savkina is one of 19 female Jehovah's Witnesses who are being prosecuted in the Jewish Autonomous Region. In this region, a total of 30 criminal cases have already been initiated against believers.