Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest December 16 – 31
31.12.2025 – One more Jehovah’s Witness from Saransk released. His wife is still in penal colony for her faith
JW – On December 30, 2025, Georgiy Nikulin, 62, left penal colony No. 3 in the Republic of Mari El, having served his sentence in full. The believer was met by his friends. His wife, Yelena, could not share the joy of being released with him—she is still in a penal colony.
The Nikulins, as well as four of their fellow believers, were convicted for their faith in August 2022. Georgiy and Yelena were sent to a pre-trial detention center, and after a court of appeal, they were transferred to penal colonies in different regions. For a long time, they did not have any communication: visits were impossible, and the couple were able to obtain permission for correspondence only after a year and a half of separation.
30.12.2025 – Teachers – heads of the “School of Common Principle” were fired in St. Petersburg
Sova – On December 29, 2025, it became known that in St. Petersburg, teachers of two universities were fired for involvement in the “School of the Single Principle”, which takes a pro-Ukrainian position and is based on the teachings of the “Orthodox spiritualist” Olga Asaulyak.
Earlier, on December 25, the security forces interrupted the meeting of followers of this organization in the Admiralteysky district of the city, but about 70 people present there were released.
25.12.2025 – Krasnodar Court sentenced disabled Jehovah’s Witness to 2 years in Penal Colony
JW – On December 23, 2025, the Sovetskiy District Court of Krasnodar convicted Anatoliy Yevtushenko, 54. Although disabled and having recently undergone hip replacement surgery, he will serve his sentence in a penal colony. He was taken into custody in the courtroom.
Anatoliy was prosecuted following his friend Aleksey Lelikov. In January 2022, their homes were searched. In July 2024, the FSB charged Yevtushenko with extremism. Due to the recognizance agreement, the believer could not go to St. Petersburg for the surgery, which he really needed, because he experienced constant pain due to bilateral coxarthrosis.
25.12.2025 – In Bashkortostan, the imam-khatyb was fined for keeping the “Muslim’s Fortres”
Sova – Rustam Imaev was fined two thousand rubles for the fact that a banned book “Muslim’s Fortres” was found in the prayer room.
On December 16, 2025, the Oktyabrsky City Court of the Republic of Bashkortostan fined two thousand rubles under Art. 20.29 Administrative Code (storage of extremist materials for mass distribution) of Rustam Imaev – imam-khatyb of the Muslim religious organization of the village of Turkmenevo.
The reason was the fact that one copy of the banned book “Fortress of the Muslim” by Said bin Ali bin Wahfa al-Kahtani was found in the prayer room.
24.12.2025 – Jehovah’s Witnesses from Komi fined for their faith.
JW- The Syktyvkar City Court found the believers guilty of extremism and fined Lidiya Nekrasova — 300,000 rubles, Aleksandr Kruglyakov — 470,000 rubles, Aleksandr Ketov and Andrey Kharlamov — 500,000 rubles each. About 50 attended the announcement of the verdict on December 22, 2025.
“I am proud that I suffered not as a villain, but as a Christian,” Aleksandr Kruglyakov, 46, expressed his opinion on what was happening. “In the 1990s, I was a villain, I was even tried. Many of my former friends are already dead.” He believes that studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses helped him to change drastically: “I stopped abusing alcohol, taking drugs, quit smoking, stopped stealing and getting into fights… Such changes helped me stay alive.”
23.12.2025 – Court in Adygea convicted two Jehovah’s Witnesses
JW – Aslanbech Trakhov, chairman of the Teuchezhskiy District Court, announced the verdict in a case against two peaceful believers charged with participating in the activity of an extremist organization — Aleksey Dmitriyev 4 years in a penal colony, and elderly Yuriy Sergeechev, who has a disability, a 4-year suspended sentence.
The case against Sergeechev and Dmitriyev was initiated at the end of April 2025. The men were immediately arrested and spent about 8 months in pretrial detention. Yuriy Sergeechev, 74, has a disability, has diabetes mellitus, has had two heart attacks and has frequent severe hypertensive crises. He walks with a cane.
23.12.2025 – 5.5 years in a Penal Colony. One of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Moscow convicted for financing extremism
JW – On December 18, 2025, Dmitriy Neudakhin, judge of the Savelovskiy District Court, sentenced Viktor Velikov to 5.5 years imprisonment. This is not Neudakhin’s first decision against Jehovah’s Witnesses: over 4 years he has imposed preventive measures against believers from Moscow, as a rule, imposing strict measures.
The Velikov case is linked to the trial of Aleksandr Serebryakov. Velikovs’ house was first searched in the fall of 2023 as part of his case. The charges are identical: the men are being prosecuted for providing lunches to believers at a peaceful 6-day religious event.
23.12.2025 – Krasnodar Protestant conscientious objector acceded to the civil alternative service
Sova – On December 18, 2025, it became known that a believer of one of the Protestant churches in Krasnodar managed to get a referral to the alternative civil service.
21-year-old Egor filed an application with a request to replace military service with an alternative one. Despite the fact that he had a deferment of his studies, the military registration and enlistment office sent him to the medical commission and recognized him fit, since the believer was on academic leave. The “fit” status had to be canceled through the regional military registration and enlistment office.
As a reason for refusing to do military service, the believer named his religious beliefs, which do not allow him to take up arms. He came to the commission together with the pastor of his church, who confirmed that Egor has been attending church since childhood. The Commission unanimously approved the application for passing the AGS.
19.12.2025 – Another believer from Volga Region, Sergey Melnik, leaves Penal Colony — 6-year term served
JW – Sergey Melnik, 53, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Volgograd, spent more than 4 years and 9 months in prison. His term for his faith ended on December 18, 2025. Sergey left the penal colony in Kirovo-Chepetsk, from where he will take a train home the next day.
Melnik was first put behind bars in May 2019 — he was placed in a pretrial detention center following a search; later, after the verdict was announced, he was sent back to the detention center. “The hardest part was enduring isolation and worrying about my family. I didn’t know what was happening with them,” Sergey recalls. “No letters, no visits, no phone calls.” Later, Sergey was allowed to correspond. “In the letters, we could chat about everyday things and feel as if we were together,” Melnik added. “Through friends, I even managed to send my wife bouquets with cards.”
18.12.2025 – Peaceful clergy statements “can become the target of prosecution”
Forum 18 – In a series of administrative prosecutions, a Krasnodar Region court fined Orthodox priest Fr Iona Sigida on 18 December for allegedly expressing “overt disrespect” for society, state bodies, and state symbols, apparently for articles on his church’s website. Other administrative cases are pending. He also faces criminal charges. In September, a St Petersburg court fined Fr Grigory Okhanov for his religiously-based opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Also in St Petersburg, Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko managed to overturn an earlier fine, but the case will be reheard.
On 18 December, a court in Krasnodar Region in southern European Russia fined an independent Orthodox priest the equivalent of at least several weeks’ average local wage for allegedly expressing “overt disrespect” for society, state bodies, and state symbols. The precise grounds for this prosecution are unclear, but appear to be connected with articles which Hieromonk Iona Sigida published on his church’s website, for which he is also under criminal investigation.
18.12.2025 – “Despite all problems, we serve God, we are alive and happy.” Court fined three of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Saratov
JW – The verdict announced by Yelena Marina on December 17, 2025, brought an end to the trial against Anton Bashabaev, Aleksey Vasiliyev, and Aleksey Yefremov. Each of them was fined 600,000 rubles for talking about the Bible.
The criminal case was initiated 2 years earlier, followed shortly by a raid. “While the search was underway, paramedics were giving me IV drips and injections,” Yefremov recalls. “Then interrogation, detention center, and trial. I have many health issues: heart attacks, blood pressure problems, diabetes… The investigators were told about this. But I was given neither food nor medication. Only thanks to God was my wife able to bring insulin to the detention center.” Just like Vasiliyev and Bashabaev, he spent a day in a temporary detention facility before being placed under house arrest for nearly a year.
18.12.2025 – The Patriarch announced statistical data on the city diocese of Moscow
Sova – On December 16, 2025, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, speaking at the annual diocesan meeting of the city of Moscow, announced statistical data on the city diocese.
According to him, as of December 1, 2025, there are 1241 churches and chapels on the territory of the diocese (five temples and four chapels more than in 2024), of which services are held at least once a week in 561 churches.
Over the 15 years of the modular temple construction program, 132 temples have been put into operation, three are being prepared for consecration and another 14 temples have been built outside the framework of this program.
The clergy of the diocese are 1893 clergy (eight more than a year earlier): 28 bishops, 1449 priests and 416 deacons.
There are 37 monasteries under the Patriarchal administration – 17 male and 20 female, where there are 2103 residents: 1090 in male and 1,013 in female.
18.12 2025 – The State Duma legislatedly protected the crosses on the Russian coat of arms
Sova – On December 9, 2025, the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill enshrining the existence of crosses on the coat of arms of the Russian Federation.
The bill, developed by a group of deputies headed by Vyacheslav Volodin, amends Article 1 of the Law “On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation”, supplementing it with a clarification: “Small crowns, a large crown and power are crowned with straight equilateral four-pointed crosses with expanding ends”.
17.12.2025 – Two women from Crimea charged for extremism for their faith.
JW – On December 12, 2025, two women practicing the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses were detained in Saky, Crimea. Their homes were searched; a criminal case was initiated. Yelena Ivashina, 50, and Olga Podlesnaya, 54, were placed under house arrest by the Kievskiy District Court of the city of Simferopol.
Their case has been separated from Voronchikhin’s case, which is currently being heard in the Simferopolskiy District Court. According to available information, Ivashina has already been charged with financing the activity of an extremist organization.
