350,000‑Ruble Fine for Faith. Court in Russia’s Kurgan Region has deemed peaceful religious activity to be extremism

"Do you consider faith in God, studying the Bible, or fellowship with fellow believers to be extremism?" asked Igor Suslov, a one of Jehovah's Witnesses, 46, posing a rhetorical question as he commented on the charge brought against him. On April 16, 2026, the Shadrinskiy District Court fined Igor for his faith.

A raid against Jehovah's Witnesses in Kurgan and Shadrinsk in July 2021 led to the prosecution of at least seven believers. Igor Suslov is one of them, although the criminal case against him was opened four years later. By that time, he and his wife Irina had been living in the Altai region for several years: they had settled into a new life and welcomed the birth of their daughter. The prosecution forced the Suslov family to move with their one‑year‑old child to Shadrinsk—1,700 kilometers away from their home—and start over from scratch.

"We had to leave a lot behind," Igor recalled. "A comfortable place to live, our familiar home, friends, and regular clients. The move was especially hard on our child—the change of time zone and climate took its toll."

The investigation into Igor's case lasted just over a month. Court hearings began in October 2025. He was accused of taking part in "a religious meeting with followers of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith." One of the witnesses testified under the pseudonym Zakhar. "I don't consider his arguments convincing," Igor said. "The entire case is built on the claim that he was supposedly visiting relatives in Shadrinsk and, somewhere on Zoom, saw me conducting some kind of meetings." In his final statement to the court, Igor emphasized that the testimonies of other witnesses also failed to demonstrate any guilt on his part in extremism.

In early February 2026, Igor was preparing for the verdict, but due to a change of judge, the consideration of the case started over.

"We are human beings—we have emotions too," Igor said, describing his state of mind toward the end of the process. "But I wouldn't say I lack joy or feel discouraged, no. Everything is fine. The court hearings are encouraging, and we have everything we need."

In the Kurgan Region, ten Jehovah's Witnesses have faced criminal prosecution for their faith. Five of them were fined substantial sums, including Aleksandr Lubin, who died one month after his conviction.