Three Jehovah's Witnesses from Oryol Were Released

On April 9, 2025, Artur Putintsev, Vladimir Melnik and Vladimir Piskarev were released from penal colonies in the Oryol, Kirov and Kaluga regions, respectively. They served their sentences in full, having spent more than 3 years in pretrial detention and more than a year in penal colonies. The believers were met by their relatives, as well as many friends.

The three men ended up behind bars in December 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. For this reason, and because their wives were witnesses in the case, visits were difficult. Irina Melnik recalls: "At first, they didn't let me visit him for about 3 months. Then we saw each other during brief visits twice a month... But it was at a distance of 1 meter, separated by glass and bars and on the phone. Only in July 2024 were we able to meet and hug each other on a long visit." In pretrial detention, Vladimir Piskarev's blood pressure problems worsened, he suffered a stroke and repeated hypertensive crises, as well as an acute flare up of his gastrointestinal illness, which caused him to be hospitalized. Vladimir Melnik and Artur Putintsev also experienced health problems during their imprisonment.

Thanks to their exemplary behavior in the penal colony, the men earned a good reputation with the administration, as well as other prisoners. Out of respect for the believers, some of them stopped using abusive language and tried not to smoke in their presence. Artur Putintsev was nicknamed "the hand of God" in the penal colony for his generosity toward other prisoners.

Friends and relatives supported the believers by sending them letters, and also provided material and practical assistance to their families. For example, Artur Putintsev's friends repaired the roof and fence of his house. Also, fellow believers drove the wives of the prisoners to courts and visits and helped making parcels.

The Oryol Region is the region where the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses began shortly after the ban on their legal entities in 2017. A total of 8 believers from this area became defendants in criminal cases for their faith. Four of them have already been released from the penal colony, and two continue to serve their sentences of forced labor.