Law enforcement officials conduct another raid against believers in Russia's Far East. A 40-year-old man is detained

October 23, 2020 Khabarovsk Territory

On October 22, 2020, searches were conducted in the town of Sovetskaya Gavan (Khabarovsk Territory). Aleksey Ukhov, 40, was detained, his electronic devices were taken from him and he was placed into isolator in neighboring settlement Vanino. Details are being clarified.

To search the home of Alexei Ukhov, a graphic artist for a local newspaper, FSB officers arrived from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, located more than 500 km from the believer's place of residence. The investigative action was carried out within the framework of a criminal case initiated on October 21, 2020 by the senior investigator for especially important cases of the FSB, Y. A. Nelyubin. During the 5-hour search, electronic devices, flash drives, SIM cards, bank cards, personal records and printed publications — a total of 117 items — were seized from the Ukhov spouses. After the search, by the evening of October 22, Aleksey Ukhov was detained.

He was able to inform his wife about his whereabouts only the next day. At the same time, the Vanino court chose a measure of restraint for a peaceful believer in the form of detention for 2 months. According to investigators, Ukhov "committed actions ... aimed at reading prayers ... studying and quoting the texts of the Holy Scriptures ... and psalm songs", which, according to the investigation, is a manifestation of extremism.

Update. On the same day, law enforcement officers searched the apartment of a local believer. At about 2:00 p.m., 8 law enforcement officers broke in, one of whom was wearing a mask and carrying a machine gun. They seized the woman’s Bible and electronic devices, as well as a TV and modem. According to the believer, the authorities planted and immediately “found” a videotape and a printed publication from the federal list of extremist materials in the apartment. During the search, the woman was questioned about her religious beliefs and fellow believers, in particular about Alexei Ukhov. A few days before the searches in Sovetskaya Gavan, interrogations of believers took place. On October 16, 2020, a police officer allegedly visited a local resident and inquired about how Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sovetskaya Gavan were holding their religious meetings and Bible discussions. The woman was summoned for questioning at the police station. On October 19, law enforcement officers also interrogated her son.

Sovetskaya Gavan is an administrative center with a population of about 40,000 people located near Sakhalin Island on the coast of the Tatar Strait. Aleksey Ukhov is already the 14th believer in Khabarovsk Territory, who was only repressed for his faith in God Jehovah.

Law enforcement officials conduct another raid against believers in Russia's Far East. A 40-year-old man is detained

The Case of Ukhov in Sovetskaya Gavan

Persons in case

Criminal case