In early February 2026, a criminal case was opened against a resident of Nizhniy Novgorod, Lidiya Starostina. The elderly believer is suspected of participating in the activities of an extremist organization.
Senior investigator Lieutenant Colonel of Justice Aleksandr Busarov opens a criminal case against 70-year-old Lydia Starostina. He suspects her of participating in the activities of an extremist organization, which, according to the investigation, was expressed in attending peaceful meetings for worship.
After four months of investigation, the case against Lidiya Starostina has been sent to the Avtozavodskiy District Court of Nizhniy Novgorod. Judge Maksim Sirotkin will preside over the case.
Lidiya Starostina states: "According to the charges brought against me, I face criminal punishment only because I simply exercised my right to practice my religion peacefully."
The court interrogates Lidiya Starostina. She explains that she has participated in amateur artistic performances her entire life, reciting poetry and singing songs about love for the land and the beauty of creation. In 1997, she began practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The believer says: "Even now, I continue to sing, only now among friends. Is it possible to sing praise to God, the Creator of all the earth, and at the same time feel hatred, enmity, or superiority over anyone?"