Biography
In April 2019, searches were carried out in the homes of believers in Abakan. Roman Baranovskiy and his mother Valentina were detained. A criminal case was initiated against them for extremist activity. The investigation lasted more than 1 year and then the case was considered in court for 8 months. In February 2021, a harsh decision was made: Roman was sentenced to 6 years and his 70-year-old mother to 2 years in a penal colony for their faith in Jehovah God.
Roman was born in 1974 in the city of Balakovo, Saratov Region. Later, the family moved to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) and in 1991 moved to Abakan, where Valentina's relatives lived. As a child, Roman liked chess and football. He graduated from Polytechnic College as a car mechanic and later became skilled as a decorator, which he was working as until his arrest.
From his youth, Roman thought about the purpose of life. He said: "Sometimes I asked God to show me the right way. It always seemed to me that there is a higher purpose in life than just living it... In 1993 I bought a Bible and started reading it ". His mother joined him in doing this. He was very impressed by the logic of the Bible's teachings.
In his free time, Roman likes to play puzzle games. He also enjoys playing the guitar. Before he was sentenced, Roman was caring for his mother. "He is a great support for me," said Valentina.
Roman's cousins were shocked to learn that Roman and his mother were charged with such monstrous things as extremism simply because of their faith in God. They were astonished by the guilty verdict against Roman and Valentina.
"I am convinced," Roman said in his final statement, "that true happiness come from the knowledge that God approves you. His approval depends on whether you act out of love for him and your neighbor. Love for God and neighbor is the main motive behind all my actions. And this has nothing to do with extremism."