13.03.2025 – A resident of Glazov brought up on biblical principles was denied alternative civilian service
Susarin News – Glazov. Udmurtia. The Glazovsky District Court of Udmurtia recognized the decision of the draft commission to refuse to replace military service by conscription with alternative civil service. This is reported by the Joint Press Service of the courts of the republic.
The lawsuit was filed by a 20-year-old citizen claiming that military service contradicts his religion and beliefs. The conscript committee refused him alternative service.
After going to court, the young man indicated that he was born into a family of believers, his parents gave him an upbringing on the basis of Biblical principles, in accordance with his personal beliefs, personal faith in God and religion he accepted holy water baptism.
13.03.2025 – A case on financing an undesirable organization has been initiated in Severodvinsk
Sova – In early March 2025, in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, a criminal case was initiated against a local resident under Part 2 of Art. 284.1 of the Criminal Code (provision or collection of funds or provision of financial services knowingly intended to ensure the activities of a foreign or international organization in respect of which a decision has been made to recognize its activities as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation).
According to the investigation, from the beginning of 2022 to February 2025, she transferred about 150 thousand rubles to the All-Ukrainian Spiritual Center “Revival”, recognized as undesirable on the territory of Russia.
13.03.2025 – In Bryansk, a foreign student was fined and expelled from the country for “illegal missionary work”
Sova – On March 12, 2025, it became known that in Bryansk a foreign student of one of the local educational institutions was fined for “illegal missionary work” and expelled from the country.
According to the media, a 19-year-old young man organized a prayer room in the dormitory. The court sentenced him to a fine of 30 thousand rubles and administrative expulsion. Apparently, we are talking about punishment under Art. 5.26 of the Administrative Code (implementation of missionary activity with violations of the requirements of the legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and religious associations, committed by a foreign citizen).
11.03.2025 – A resident of Dagestan was fined for keeping Muslim books at home
Sova – During the search, a resident of Dagestan found the “Fortress of a Muslim” and a semantic translation of the Koran, the publication of which the court identified with the banned volume of tafsir as-Saadi.
On February 28, 2025, the Kaitagsky District Court of the Republic of Dagestan fined a thousand rubles under Art. 20.29 Administrative Code (storage of extremist materials for the purpose of mass distribution) by Magomedshapi Abdusalamov.
Abdusalamov’s house was searched, during which the book “The Fortress of a Muslim” and the publication “Quran. Semantic translation by Elmir Kuliev”. The court decided to destroy these books.
11.03.2025 -The sentence of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Blagoveshchensk was approved
Sova – The believers were found guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization.
On March 10, 2025, the Amur Regional Court approved the verdict of four followers of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Blagoveshchensk.
On December 6, 2024, the Blagoveshchensky City Court of the Amur Region sentenced the followers of Jehovah’s Witnesses Kristina Golik and Valentina Ermilova to two and a half years, and Maria Myasnikova and Ekaterina Olshevskaya to two years and two months in prison, replacing this punishment with forced labor for the same period with a deduction of 10% of wages to the state income. In addition, they were given an additional punishment in the form of restriction of liberty for six months after the end of forced labor.
11.03.2025 – A Greek Catholic parish was liquidated in Omsk
Sova – On May 22, 2024, the Omsk Regional Court satisfied the claim of the regional department of the Ministry of Justice to liquidate the local Greek Catholic parish of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose servant is charged under two articles of the Criminal Code. The reason for the liquidation was certain gross violations of federal legislation.
Violations that the Ministry of Justice considered irrecovable were “identified during a joint inspection of the department, the prosecutor’s office of the Omsk region and the Federal Security Service of the Omsk region”.
11.03.2025 – A citizen of Uzbekistan was fined in Kirov for “illegal missionary work”
Sova – On March 5, 2025, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Kirov fined a citizen of Uzbekistan Nurillo Mukhtorzhon Ugli Rakhmonaliyev for “illegal missionary work”.
The court found him guilty under Part 5 of Art. 5.26 of the Administrative Code (implementation of missionary activity in violation of the requirements of the legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and religious associations, committed by a foreign citizen) and imposed a penalty in the form of a fine of 30 thousand rubles.
10.03.2025 – The government gave a negative response to the draft amendments to the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations”
Sova – The People’s Assembly of Dagestan proposed to indefinitely deprive the leadership of banned organizations of the creation of religious associations, to oblige the branches of the Ministry of Justice to coordinate the registration of religious organizations with regional authorities, as well as to leave the right to distribute religious literature and religious items only to centralized religious organizations. The government did not support the bill.
On December 24, 2024, the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan submitted to the State Duma a draft amendment to the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations”.
07.03.2025 – The case of the pastor of the church of the HVE, who allowed anti-war statements in the sermon, is being investigated in the Moscow region
Sova – On October 18, 2024, law enforcement officers detained the pastor of the Holy Trinity Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith in Balashikha Nikolai Romanyuk. A criminal case was opened against him under Art. 280.4 of the Criminal Code (public calls for activities directed against state security). On October 20, the court placed him in a pre-trial detention center.
During the search, the pastor was hit on the head with a butt, although he did not resist. As a result, he was deaf in one ear. Later it became known that Romanyuk had a microstroke in the detention center.
07.03.2025 – Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko was in case for discrediting the army
Sova – On March 5, 2025, the Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg received a case under Part 1 of Art. 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code (public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, maintain international peace and security, including public calls to prevent the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for these purposes) against the priest of the Apostolic Orthodox Church Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko.
Earlier, a case was opened against him for not reprising himself as a foreign agent.
06.03.2025 – A Jehovah’s Witness from Kaltan was sentenced to six years in the colony
Sova – Believer Alexander Tsikunov was found guilty under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 UK.
On March 6, 2025, the Kaltansky District Court of the Kemerovo Region sentenced Jehovah’s Witness Alexander Tsikunov to six years in a general regime colony. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization). After the verdict was announced, the convict was taken into custody in the courtroom.
03.03.2025 – In Sakhalin, the court sentenced Jehovah’s Witness to six years in prison
Sova – Daler Tokhtaev from Poronaysk was found guilty under the ch. 1.1 and 2 Art. 282.2 UK.
On February 28, 2025, the Poronai City Court of the Sakhalin Region sentenced Jehovah’s Witness Daler Tokhtayev to six years in prison with a general regime colony on the terms of honor. 1.1 and 2 Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (involvement in and participation in the activities of an extremist organization).
Tokhtaev’s case was initiated on February 6, 2024. On April 3, Tokhtaev was searched, after which he was detained. The court placed the accused in a pre-trial detention center. On October 2, 2024, the case was submitted to court. On January 15, 2025, during the debate of the parties, the state prosecutor asked to sentence Tokhtaev to eight years in