Name: Dorofeev Mikhail Arsentiyevich
Date of Birth: July 28, 1965
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: obligation to appear
Sentence: imprisonment for a period of 6 years, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations (associations) for a period of 4 years, the sentence in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probation period of 4 years

Biography

In May 2023, Mikhail Dorofeev learned that a criminal case had been opened against him under an extremist article. His house was searched. The reason for this persecution was the peaceful religious beliefs of the man.

Mikhail was born in July 1965 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he lived all his life. He has an elder sister. The parents are no longer alive.

As a child, Mikhail loved to ride a bicycle and a moped. After school, he received a secondary specialized education. He worked in the police, as a mechanic at a metallurgical plant, as well as in the housing and communal services sector. He is now retired. In his free time, he likes to master the computer.

In 1986, Mikhail married Tatyana, who is also retired. Together, the couple raised a daughter, she lives separately from her parents.

Mikhail received from the Bible the answer to the question of why people die, and also learned the Bible's teaching about the possibility of living forever in paradise on earth. This prompted him to embark on the Christian path in 1997. After 10 years, Tatyana joined him. She was attracted by the wisdom of biblical counsel.

Mikhail said: "The criminal prosecution divided my life into before and after. I am not left with a feeling of anxiety. Also, against this background, chronic diseases have worsened”. The daughter, who does not share the religious beliefs of her parents, is outraged by what is happening and tries to help them.

Case History

In May 2023, the homes of peaceful residents in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, as well as in Khurba and Molodezhniy, were searched during the night on religious grounds. The investigation initiated a criminal case against 10 believers: Vasiliy Bondarev and his mother Irina, Sergey and Ulita Sachnev, Nikolay Kovadnev, Ivan Nikitin, Mikhail Dorofeev, Radion Shitov, Marina Voytko and Svetlana Zharkova. They were charged with involving others in the activity of a banned organization. In 2024, the prosecutor’s office returned the case to the investigator twice. In October of the same year, the case went to court. All the defendants were added to the Rosfinmonitoring list, which made it difficult for them to pay bills and manage their assets. In October 2025, the court gave suspended sentences of 6 years to Dorofeev, Kovadnev and Shitov and 2 years to the Bondarevs, the Sachnevs, Zharkova, Voytko and Nikitin. Among the convicted persons, five are over 60.
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