Name: Artamonov Anatoliy Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: February 7, 1952
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Current restrictions: recognizance agreement
Sentence: imprisonment for a term of 5 years, with restriction of freedom for a term of 1 year 6 months, the sentence in the form of imprisonment is considered conditional with a probationary period

Biography

When Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on Anatoliy Artamonov's door in the early 1990s and told him about the biblical hope for a better future, he wanted to know more about it. 30 years later, the man was prosecuted for his love of the Bible.

Anatoliy was born in 1952 in the resort village of Kuldur (Jewish Autonomous Region), famous for its hot springs. His father worked as a carpenter, and his mother was the commandant of a dormitory. The couple raised six children—four boys and two girls. Anatoliy was the third child in the family. When he was one, his parents moved to Komsomolsk-on-Amur and then settled in Birobidzhan. Now they are no longer alive.

After school, Anatoliy entered a vocational school, where he received the specialty of a fitter. He served 2 years in the Soviet Army in the village of Ust-Kamchatsk. After demobilization, he returned to Birobidzhan, where he worked at various enterprises as a turbine driver, assembler, and welder. Recently he has been working as an electrician in a city hospital. From childhood to this day, the man is fond of fishing.

Anatoliy is married to Lyudmila, with whom they raised two children. In 1994, they officially registered their marriage, and in 1995, together with their daughter Larisa, they became Jehovah's Witnesses. Later, they were joined by Anatoliy's elder sister, his mother and grandson. The son of the believer does not share their beliefs, but they have a good relationship, the men work together.

The criminal prosecution affected not only Anatoliy, but also his daughter Larisa and grandson Yevgeniy. They have already served sentences on similar charges —2.5 years suspended. Relatives and friends are worried about Anatoliy and support his family during this difficult period of his life.

Case History

In January 2024, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case in Birobidzhan against unidentified persons for involvement in the activities of an extremist organization. 13 days later, the homes of elderly Anatoliy Artamonov and Aleksandr Krushevskiy, who is hearing impaired, were searched. In January 2025, the investigator chose a restriction measure for the believers in the form of a recognizance agreement, and two days later he also charged them with participation in the activities of an extremist organization. The reason for this was peaceful conversations about the Bible with two women. In February 2025, both Jehovah’s Witnesses were added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists, and the case was taken to court. The prosecutor requested 4.5 years in a penal colony for the believers. In July, the court sentenced Krushevskiy and Artamonov to 5 years of suspended sentence with restriction of freedom for 1.5 years.
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