"And Finally We Meet" — Konstantin Sannikov Fully Served His Sentence for Faith

After being separated for 5 years, Konstantin Sannikov, 55, father of four, was reunited with his family at the gates of the penal colony in Almetyevsk. On September 10, 2025, he completed the sentence imposed by a court for his religious beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

"In our letters, my wife, Ira, and I compared being in prison to a long opaque glass," Konstantin recalls. "It was as if we saw only a silhouette of each other and walked along the glass: she on one side, me on the other. We told each other, "It will end someday." And finally, we met and hugged."

Konstantin was isolated from his familiy the first 2 years behind bars: the investigator did not allow him any visits or phone calls. Konstantin's daughter, Margarita, recalls: "Dad was missing at dinner; we missed his advice and hugs." The only way to communicate was letters, which became a "breath of fresh air" for the Sannikovs. It was not only Konstantin's family who wrote to him, but so did hundreds of other caring people from different countries and territories. The staff of the pretrial detention center tried to deprive him of this joy — once they ordered the believer to put in writing to reject receiving any correspondence, except from his relatives. Konstantin refused. After that, he was placed in a special cell, where loud music was played continuously for 3 days and nights. "I didn't know how long I would last before going crazy," the believer recalls.

Konstantin and his family remember that the first year of imprisonment was the hardest. The believer was kept in overcrowded cells at the detention center; they had to sleep in turns — there were not enough beds. For 6 months Sannikov suffered from hypertensive crises. "I couldn't even tilt my head to look at a letter," he recalls. Thanks only to the efforts of relatives, it was possible to get the necessary medicines.

The believer's wife said that during these years their friends were their support. They were interested in how things were going, helped financially, provided food, wrote cards, sent flowers to Irina. "It was genuine care. We are very grateful," says Irina.

Looking back, Sannikov stated that his faith, that had put him behind bars, helped him survive. "I can say for sure, never have I had such a strong relationship with Jehovah God."

In February 2023 Konstantin Sannikov was sentenced to 6.5 years in a penal colony on charges for extremism. Taking into account his time in the pretrial detention center, his term of imprisonment is considered to have been fully served, but the additional punishment in the form of restriction of freedom for 1 year remains in force. Two more believers from Tatarstan remain in prison for their beliefs.