Another resident of Petrozavodsk was accused of extremism and lost his job due to persecution for his faith

On September 20, 2019, 44-year-old Dmitry Ravnushkin was detained at his workplace in Petrozavodsk. The believer was taken for interrogation, which lasted about 4 hours, after which he was released on his own recognizance. Three days later, Dmitry Ravnushkin was fired from his job, the authorities explained: "We don't need problems."

The extremism case (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) against Ravnushkin is being investigated by S. Grigoriev, senior investigator of the Karelian FSB, who also oversees the criminal prosecution of other Petrozavodsk believers, in particular, Maxim Amosov and Mikhail Gordeev, who was also taken away for interrogation directly from work. The charges in the case include language such as "organizing meetings" of Jehovah's Witnesses and "propaganda activities."

The criminal case and the sudden loss of his job jeopardize not only Dmitry Ravnushkin, but also his family. Groundless persecution for their faith also affected other civilians in Karelia: on July 31, 2019, the FSB conducted at least 17 searches in the homes and workplaces of citizens believed to be Jehovah's Witnesses in the cities of Petrozavodsk and Kondopoga.