Believers from Iturup Island Found Guilty Again. Sentences Doubled After Retrial

Six months ago, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court gave Larisa Potapova and Olga Kalinnikova a 2.5-year suspended sentence for discussing the Bible. On October 29, 2025, Judge Galina Masterkova changed the suspended sentences to: 4 years and 11 months for Potapova, and 5 years for Kalinnikova.

The retrial required the women to fly again to Sakhalin to defend their right to freedom of religion. Olga admits: "There's little we can control while under criminal prosecution. The only thing we can and must do is be a Christian."

For both women, the long-running criminal prosecution has brought additional hardships. Larisa Potapova, 61, lives with and cares for her elderly mother. "The first search was in 2019. I found it hard — my blood pressure spiked and my head ached. During the second search, my mother became ill," she recalls. In court, Larisa pleaded not guilty to extremism and stated: "I'm a believer. I love God and I love people, and there's not a single victim in this case." Olga Kalinnikova, 48, has worked at a seismic station in Kurilsk for over 25 years. She is raising a minor daughter alone and also cares for her elderly parents.

Kurilsk has a population of about 2,000, and everyone knows each other. "When our criminal case was published in the local newspaper, some people stopped greeting us, while on the other hand, others started to," Olga noticed. She admits the worst part isn't the court hearings: "It's painful to see how my parents worry and age because of it. Not being allowed to travel is also tough. You have to ask permission for everything. And there's the stress about work."

According to Potapova and Kalinnikova, their loved ones and friends helped them endure the second trial with resilience. "I felt like I was being carried in someone's arms," said Olga. "I'm grateful that every day has also reasons for joy, and there's so much good. I'm not afraid of the future and I feel at peace."