Criminal Investigation and Trial

In Kaluga, the second believer, Roman Makhnev, left the pre-trial detention center

Kaluga Region

On December 25, 2019, Olga Alabugina, judge of the Kaluga District Court, softened the measure of restraint for Roman Makhnev, who had previously been subjected to inhuman treatment in the FSB building in Kaluga. He spent exactly six months behind bars. A day earlier, a similar decision was made in relation to Dmitry Kuzin.

While Roman Makhnev was in custody in a pre-trial detention center, his family faced a number of misfortunes. His father died. His mother's house burned down. Due to unfair criminal prosecution, he could not be with his family during this difficult period. All this time, the fellow believers supported the family as best they could.

Earlier, Kuzin and Makhnev declared the violation of their rights in an open letter to the governor of the Kaluga region, Anatoly Artamonov. Dmitry Kuzin's wife and his lawyers also appealed to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Kaluga Region, Yury Zelnikov, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Moskalkova, and the former Chairman of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, Mikhail Fedotov.

Additional details of the criminal prosecution of Kaluga believers are given in the 5-minute video "I managed to tell my dad in my ear that I was proud of his steadfastness." The life of believers in Kaluga was divided into before and after."

Case of Makhnev and Kuzin in Kaluga

Case History
In June 2019, several homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were searched in Kaluga, including the families of Roman Makhnev and Dmitriy Kuzin. The men were detained and soon sent to a pre-trial detention center. Both spent six months behind bars, and then another two months under house arrest. The FSB opened a criminal case against them, as well as another believer, on extremism. In November 2020, the investigation was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The investigation resumed in March 2024, and 9 months later the case went to court.
Timeline

Persons in case

Kuzin
Dmitriy
Makhnev
Roman

Criminal case

Region:
Kaluga Region
Locality:
Kaluga
Suspected of:
"took active organizational actions, expressed in the unification of the followers of the world organization of Jehovah's Witnesses living in the city of Kaluga and the Kaluga region, under a single leadership; convening meetings in residential quarters... organization of religious speeches and services at these meetings; carrying out the preaching activity" (from the decision to bring as an accused)
Court case number:
11907290001000019
Initiated:
June 26, 2019
Current case stage:
trial in court of first instance
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate of Russia for the Kaluga Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-135/2025 (1-1013/2024)
Court of First Instance:
Kaluga District Court of Kaluga Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Irina Tararicheva
Case History
Back to top