Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest November 01-15
15.11.2025 – Infiltration of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible studies by Russian FSB spies
Europeantimes – On 12 November, a Russian court imprisoned two 74-year-old men—Valeriy Knyazev and Indus Talipov—the two oldest of the 175 Jehovah’s Witnesses currently behind bars in Russia and Crimea.
Valeriy and Indus were sentenced to three years in prison and immediately taken into custody.
There are now 19 elderly Witnesses (18 male; 1 female) over the age of 65 in Russia.
Authorities have at times resorted to beating or torturing Jehovah’s Witnesses to pressure them to reveal the names of their fellow worshippers. Such cases of abuse are relatively rare (less than 10% of the nearly 900 Witnesses targeted for prosecution), because authorities have consistently seen that Jehovah’s Witnesses will refuse to betray their spiritual brothers no matter the consequences.
14.11.2025 – Izhevsk Court sentenced two Jehovah’s Witnesses, both 74, to penal colony for three years
JW – Six months ago, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court sentenced Larisa Potapova and Olga Kalinnikova to 2.5 years suspended for Bible discussions. Now, on October 29, 2025, Judge Galina Masterkova imposed significantly harsher penalties: 4 years and 11 months suspended for Potapova, and 5 years suspended for Kalinnikova.
The retrial meant the women had to fly to Sakhalin again to defend their right to freedom of religion. Olga admits: “In a situation of criminal prosecution, there’s little we can control. The only thing we can and must do is be Christian.”
13.11.2025 – An emergency building was handed over to the DUM in Orenburg
Sova – On November 11, 2025, it became known that the Orenburg authorities handed over the former building of the Husaynia Madrasah to the Regional Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Orenburg region.
In Soviet times, communal apartments were equipped in a one-story building and the second floor was added. Then the building was recognized as emergency, the residents were resettled, and the city authorities decided to transfer the building to the Muslim community.
The regional Duma has not yet decided how to use the transferred property, but assured that “it will not be a residential building or some business center. The building in the historic center of the city will be saved and will continue to serve believers as before.”
12.11.2025 – Exiled Orthodox journalist facing criminal charges added to wanted list
Forum 18 – Russia’s Interior Ministry Wanted List includes: 4 opponents of Russia’s war against Ukraine on religious grounds; 7 Muslim Nursi readers from Russia; 15 Jehovah’s Witnesses from Russia, 4 from Russian-occupied Crimea; 4 people wanted by Belarus; 3 wanted by Kazakhstan; 2 wanted by Tajikistan; 5 wanted by Uzbekistan. Most recently added was exiled Orthodox journalist Kseniya Luchenko. The Interior Ministry did not say why it includes people who peacefully exercised their right to freedom of religion or belief. Interpol would not say for how many of them Russia had sought Red Notices.faut que tu t
10.11.2025 – The state prosecutor asks to sentence Jehovah’s Witness from Birobidzhan to a suspended sentence of imprisonment
Sova – Igor Prityko is in the dock. He is accused under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE.
On November 6, 2025, the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region held a debate between the parties in the case of Jehovah’s Witness Igor Prityko, who is accused under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization). The state prosecutor asked to sentence him to two years of suspended imprisonment with a two-year probationary period.
The case was initiated on May 28, 2025, the next day Prityko was interrogated in the Investigative Committee as a suspect. The investigator took a subscription from him not to go.
10.11.2025 – In Cherkessk, a fine was imposed for distributing a banned Islamic book near the store
Sova – A local resident was fined a thousand rubles for distributing the “Gardens of the Righteous”.
On October 21, 2025, the Cherkess City Court of Karachay-Cherkessia fined a thousand rubles under Art. 20.29 Administrative Code (mass distribution of extremist materials) by Keram Botashev.
It follows from the ruling that he distributed the forbidden book “Gardens of the Righteous” near the “Islamic Store”. During the survey, he admitted that he let strangers read it.
The court decided to destroy the book.
06.11.2025 – In the Voronezh region, the Orthodox parish is trying to legalize the building of the temple through the court
Sova – On November 5, 2025, it became known that the parish of the Three Saints Church in the village of Volya, Novousmansky district, Voronezh region, appealed to the Arbitration Court of the region with a claim against the district administration. A religious organization demands to recognize the ownership of the temple.
The construction of the temple began in 2003, but the building has not yet been legalized.
The first court hearing on the claim is scheduled for November 18.
05.11.2025 – A Jehovah’s Witness from Yoshkar-Ola was placed under house arrest in a new criminal case
Sova – On October 21, 2025, 34-year-old Jehovah’s Witness Konstantin Khlybov was detained in Yoshkar-Ola. According to the SU of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Republic of Mari El, he was charged under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization).
At the request of the investigation, the Yoshkar-Ola City Court detained Khlybov on October 22. However, on October 31, the Supreme Court of Mari El changed the measure of restraint to house arrest. Note that the case card on the court’s website indicates not only Part 2, but also Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization).
04.11.2025 – Bans on Council of Churches Baptist congregations “only growing”
Forum 18 – Courts have now banned at least 10 Council of Churches Baptist communities for meeting without state permission. (These Baptists choose to meet without registration.) “This practice is only growing”, says lawyer Sergey Chugunov. Six of the known lawsuits have been in Krasnodar Region. Krasnodar Region Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to Forum 18’s questions. Such bans often start with FSB or police surveillance, raids and prosecutions for “illegal missionary activity”. Bans on churches’ activities “must be overturned”, Chugunov believes. The churches continue to meet despite the bans.
03.11.2025 – Search in Yoshkar-Ola. Father of young child facing criminal prosecution
Forum 18 – Courts handed at least 3 Jehovah’s Witnesses long jail terms for exercising freedom of religion since September. A Samara court jailed Samvel Babayan for 7 years. A Saransk court jailed Ivan Neverov for 7 years, Mikhail Shevchuk for 6 years 6 months. Neither the court nor the Prosecutor’s Office would explain the long jail terms or who Neverov and Shevchuk might have harmed. Interior Ministry officials rescinded Irina Khvostova’s citizenship. Within minutes of release from prison on 13 October, police took Armenian citizen Vardan Zakaryan to prepare his expulsion.
In a typical recent case, a court in Saransk, capital of the Republic of Mordoviya, handed two Jehovah’s Witnesses long prison sentences on 19 September for exercising their freedom of religion or belief. It jailed 39-year-old Ivan Neverov for 7 years and 38-year-old Mikhail Shevchuk for 6 years and 6 months. The court convicted them on charges of “Organisation of the activities of a banned extremist organisation”. Prosecutors had requested 9 years’ imprisonment for Neverov, and 8 years for Shevchuk.
