New Searches in the Kurgan Region. Believer Under Investigation — Husband and Daughter Already Prisoners of Conscience

On September 22, 2026, searches were carried out in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Petukhovskiy District, affecting at least five people. Four believers were interrogated regarding the case of Aleksandr Gaytur. A criminal case had been initiated against his wife, Svetlana, for her faith, several weeks earlier.

The search warrant for the apartment of the Gaytur family was issued by Judge Yevgeniy Kolegov of the Kurgan City Court. Law enforcement officers, led by Investigator S. Grachev, searched the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses for religious literature, electronic storage devices, and mobile phones. None of the believers were detained.

Svetlana Gaytur became the third member of the family against whom a criminal case has been initiated: Aleksandr has been under prosecution since 2023, and their daughter, Anastasiya, was fined for her faith.

In Kurgan and Shadrinsk, at least 11 criminal cases have been initiated over the past 5 years; these include the cases of Isakov, Skudaev, Lubin, and others. Verdicts have already been delivered in most of these cases.