Six Years for Jehovah's Witnesses from Tver for their Faith — Court Claimed Peaceful Meetings for Worship Were Extremism

On February 13, 2026, Valeriy Popov, judge of the Moskow District Court of the city of Tver, issued a sentence against three of Jehovah's Witnesses: Valeriy Tolmazov, Aleksandr Kostyuk, and Maksim Barbazyuk. All three received 6 years in prison and were taken into custody in the courtroom.

The men insist that they only peacefully professed their faith in a legal way. "I am being judged for not stealing, I have been living with my wife for 49 years in peace and harmony, although she does not share my religious views; I help my 96-year-old mother, I do not swear, I live in peace with everyone," Valeriy Tolmazov, a 71-year-old pensioner, addressed the court.

Aleksandr Kostyuk, a 53-year-old father of three, echoed his fellow believer: "I was accused of extremism, but in fact they are persecuted only because I read the Bible and try to live as it says."

The criminal prosecution of the Tver residents have been going on since June 2023. This was preceded by operational-search measures, including covert recording of worship meetings, which were later viewed in court. "The recordings themselves show that the accusations are groundless," commented Maksym Barbazyuk, a 43-year-old electrician. "At them, we read the Bible, discuss how to become better husbands, wives, neighbors and citizens... we actively discuss what God wants from us — that we treat others with respect and observe the laws of the country in which we live."

The prosecution requested 7 years in a penal colony for all three defendants.

To date, 8 of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Tver region have been persecuted for their faith, some of them are already serving sentences in penal colonies.