Filatov Sergey

Name: Filatov Sergey Viktorovich
Date of Birth: June 6, 1972
Current status: main sentence served
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 82 day in a pre-trial detention, 2067 day in prison
Current restrictions: restriction of freedom
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for 6 years with deprivation of the right to engage in educational activities, activities related to speeches and publications in the media, post materials in information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet for a period of 5 years and with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year with serving the main sentence in a penal colony of general regime
Released: January 21, 2026

Biography

On an autumn night in 2018, one of the largest special operations of law enforcement officers against believers was carried out in Dzhankoy (Crimea). More than 200 FSB and police officers broke into at least 8 homes of local residents, kicking down the doors. Four buses and several official cars drove up to the house of only Sergey Filatov. After a search and interrogation, a criminal case was initiated against him.

Sergey was born in 1972 in the village of Privolnoye (Ukraine). He has two sisters. As a child, he was fond of football, basketball and stamp collecting. He graduated from college as an electrician. He worked as an electrician, machine operator, plumber, master of finishing works.

In 1995, Sergey married Natalya, thanks to whom he became acquainted with Bible teachings. Natalya was worried about the death of her father, and she was deeply touched by the biblical teaching on the resurrection of the dead. She began to share with her husband what she learned from the Bible. "I was amazed that I can live the way Jehovah wants me to, that is, live the right way," Sergey said. "The scales fell from my eyes like a veil. I understood what truth is."

The couple have four children, whom they brought up in accordance with Christian commandments. In 2003, the whole family moved to Dzhankoy because of the eldest daughter's illness.

In court, Filatov emphasized: "Jehovah's Witnesses have been known for their exemplary behavior and law-abiding behavior in Dzhankoy for more than 50 years. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I am not guilty in the eyes of God and people. I have not done anything reprehensible."

In the spring of 2020, the court sentenced the believer to 6 years in a general regime colony. He was released in January 2026, having served his term in full.

Case History

Sergey Filatov, a father of four, lived a quiet life in Dzhankoy, to which he had moved from the Kherson Region to care for his sick daughter. One evening in the fall of 2018, during a large-scale raid by law enforcement officers, his home was stormed by an armed special-forces unit. Law enforcement agencies deemed that this family man was “undermining the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state.” Notably, there were no victims in the criminal case; a law enforcement officer testified as a witness for the prosecution, and for “experts” the investigators enlisted a priest of an Orthodox church and a local resident, Aleksey Voznyak, who had “a university degree in ‘religious studies.’” In March 2020, the believer was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony. Filatov was released in January 2026.
Timeline
Back to top