Aleksandr Kutin with his wife Guzel
Aleksandr Kutin with his wife Guzel
On October 16, 2026, Aleksandr Kutin, a 44-year-old one of Jehovah's Witnesses, was released. He spent a total of about 2.5 years behind bars—first in a pretrial detention center, then in Penal Colony No. 3 for the Mari El Republic—for organizing activity that the investigation classified as extremist.
In the penal colony, Aleksandr was known as a kind and calm person. He took part in sports events, and he also picked up a new hobby—making items out of wood. “I learned the importance of patience, kindness toward people, and the ability to communicate with different people. Overcome evil with good,” Aleksandr shared lessons learned in detention.
“When Sasha [short for Aleksandr] was in the pretrial detention center, he supported me with special letters every Friday,” recalls the believer's wife, Guzel. “In those letters he wrote his thoughts on Bible verses he read and included beautiful cards with flowers and nature—he set those aside especially for me."
A criminal case against Aleksandr Kutin, Maksim Derendyaev, and Sergey Ashikhmin was initiated in April 2021. The investigation alleged that the believers “coordinated and organized” meetings for worship and spreading their faith in Izhevsk. In May 2024, Judge Marina Khokhryakova of the Pervomayskiy District Court sentenced each of them to three years' imprisonment in a penal colony.
Maksim Derendyaev was released in September 2026. Sergey Ashikhmin is still behind bars. In total, 10 Jehovah's Witnesses in Udmurtia have faced criminal prosecution for their faith.
