Pyzhov Leonid

Name: Pyzhov Leonid Vyacheslavovich
Date of Birth: September 14, 1973
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 174 day in a pre-trial detention, 182 day Under house arrest, 65 day in prison
Sentence: a sentence of 6 years' imprisonment to be served in a general regime penal colony, with a ban on engaging in activities connected with participation in public and religious organizations for 5 years, and a restriction of freedom for 1 year
Term of imprisonment: until August 2031
Currently held in: Correctional Colony № 13, Sverdlovsk Region

Pyzhov Leonid Vyacheslavovich, born 1973, Correctional Colony № 13, Sverdlovsk Region, ul. Kulibina, 61, Nizhniy Tagil, Sverdlovsk Region, 622013

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the ZT system.

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

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

Biography

Leonid Pyzhov, a resident of Omsk, worked for a social taxi service—an organization that provides free or discounted rides for low-income individuals and those who cannot move about on their own. As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, he also spoke with others about the Bible; as a result, he faced criminal prosecution. The court sentenced the believer to compulsory labor, but the court of appeal toughened the sentence—6 years in a penal colony.

Leonid was born in 1973 in the city of Kurgan. He has a younger brother and sister. Their mother is now retired and lives alone.

In his youth, Leonid was fond of various types of martial arts. After school, he studied at a construction college as a mechanic. Before his arrest, already in Omsk, where he moved with his wife, he worked as a social taxi driver and manager of a pick-up point.

Leonid likes to do things with his own hands, such as carpentry and growing plants. He had a plan to build a house.

Even in his youth, Leonid was interested in questions about God and Jesus Christ. After reading the Gospels on his own, he concluded that in order to be a disciple of Jesus, you need to share with others what you have learned. One day, Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on Leonid's door and invited him to study the Bible. In it, he found answers to his questions. In 1995, Leonid became one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Leonid met his future wife Tatyana among his fellow believers. They got married in 1996.

In March 2024, their home was searched. Leonid was detained and placed first in a temporary detention center, and then in a pre-trial detention center. According to Tatyana, parting with her husband is a great grief for her.

Relatives worry about Leonid and are waiting for him to return home. They speak of him as a loving person, far from violence and extremism. According to them, Leonid is being persecuted only because he believes in God and reads the Bible.

Violence by law enforcement officers

Case History

In March 2024 in Omsk, law enforcement officers carried out searches at the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses; dozens of believers were subjected to interrogations. During the searches, Sergey Rygaev and Leonid Pyzhov were beaten. They were placed in a pretrial detention center. For reading the Bible with friends, they were charged with organizing the activity of an extremist organization. In August of the same year, Sergey and Leonid were transferred to house arrest, which 6 months later was replaced with a ban on certain actions. The court proceedings began in late November 2025. Due to stress, Leonid Pyzhov’s blood pressure spiked repeatedly and on one occasion he was hospitalized with a hypertensive crisis. In April 2026, the court handed down a sentence to the two believers — forced labor. In August of the same year, the court of appeal increased the sentence — 6 years’ imprisonment in a penal colony.
Timeline
Back to top