Petrochenko Darya

Name: Petrochenko Darya Vladimirovna
Date of Birth: March 18, 1992
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 636 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: a sentence of 5 years' imprisonment to be served in a general regime penal colony, with a 5-year ban on engaging in activity related to participation in the work of public and religious organizations, and a 2-year restriction of freedom
Currently held in: Detention Center No.6 for Moscow

Petrochenko Darya Vladimirovna, born 1992, Detention Center No.6 for Moscow, Ul. SHhosseynaya, 92, Moscow, 109383

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the F-pismo system. To pay for service with the card of a foreign bank use Prisonmail.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

Darya Petrochenko, chief specialist of the representative office of Ingushetia under the President of the Russian Federation in Moscow, faced criminal prosecution for her faith in Jehovah God. In December 2024, she and her mother were searched. The believer ended up in a pre-trial detention center.

Darya was born in March 1992 in the Moscow region. Her father is an engineer by profession, and her mother is a merchandiser. Darya has an elder brother on her father's side.

The girl graduated with honors from college with a degree in secretary-assistant with knowledge of English. Then she received two higher educations in the specialties of "lawyer" and "translator".

Back in the early 1990s, shortly before Darya was born, her mother met Jehovah's Witnesses. In Darya's heart, biblical truths resonated, the love for which her mother instilled in her from childhood. In 2010, the girl was baptized.

As a child, Darya loved to play outdoor games, ride a bike and roller skate, and travel. Now she also leads an active lifestyle—she goes in for sports, loves to swim, as well as travels, improves her German and Spanish.

Relatives, friends and colleagues are perplexed why this peaceful and responsible girl was arrested. They support her in every possible way.

Case History

In December 2024, homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were searched in Moscow and Lyubertsy near Moscow. The day before, a criminal case was initiated against Oksana Ivanova, Larisa Kislaya, Liliana Korol, Darya Petrochenko and Zaur Murtuzov. The reason was conversations about the Bible with Olga Grigoriyeva, who feigned an interest. The believers were charged with participating in the activity of an extremist organization and involving others in it. Later, Murtuzov, Korol and Petrochenko were sent to a pretrial detention center, and Kislaya and Ivanova were placed under house arrest. In May 2025, Tatyana Levitskaya’s house was searched. She was placed under house arrest. In October, Korol was also transferred to house arrest. The case went to court in December. In August 2026, the verdict was announced — 5 years in a penal colony and 2 years restriction of freedom for Murtuzov and Petrochenko; 4 years of forced labor and 2 years restriction of freedom for Ivanova, Kislaya, and Korol; and 3 years and 8 months of forced labor and 6 months restriction of freedom for Levitskaya.
Timeline
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