Court in Vyselki Finds Five Jehovah's Witnesses Guilty. Among Them Are Believers with Disabilities and an 80-Year-Old Man

On June 3, 2026, the Vyselkovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory announced the verdict against five local believers. Judge Aleksandr Kalchevskiy found them guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization and gave suspended sentences: Ushakov and Bochko — 6.5 years each, and Vechnyaev, Shubnikov, and Kolesnikov — 6 years each.

Vitaliy Ushakov, 45, repairs cars; Yevgeniy Bochko, 51, does not work because he suffers from multiple sclerosis and is a person with a disability; Valeriy Vechnyaev, 52, is a father of many children, a musician, and a decorator; Vladimir Kolesnikov, 80, is a retired military officer; and Aleksey Shubnikov, 43, has a severe disability and has used a wheelchair since he was 16.

The criminal prosecution began in February 2022 with a series of searches: investigative actions affected at least 51 people, and electronic devices, bank cards, and personal records were seized from the believers. Ushakov was sent to a pretrial detention center for almost 7 months, then placed under house arrest and then under a ban on certain actions; Bochko, Vechnyaev, Kolesnikov, and Shubnikov were also banned from a range of actions, including communicating with witnesses in the criminal case and using communications devices.

Vladimir Kolesnikov said: "For 4 years, we lived in Belarus and were later forced to return to Russia — my wife was seriously ill. In January 2020, she died. Later I myself became seriously ill and ended up in the hospital; I do not remember everything (stroke). Eight months later a search took place at my place... In one day, both I and the husband of my wife's daughter, Viktor Spirichev, were placed under investigation."

In court, the defense repeatedly pointed out violations committed during the process. For example, experts analyzed materials other than those provided by the investigator. Aleksey's lawyer noted another violation in the case files: "Without the defense's knowledge, 154 pages were added, 105 pages were altered, and 18 pages were permanently removed."

In the Krasnodar Territory, 34 criminal cases have been initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses so far, and 18 believers have been sentenced to actual prison terms.