Biography
Vladimir Kochnev was born in 1979 in Orenburg. His mother raised three children alone, of whom Vladimir was the youngest. As a child, he was fond of fishing and football. His older sister introduced him to the teachings of the Bible. Already at the age of 14, Vladimir made his conscious religious choice. He gained a reputation as a thinking, kind and peace-loving person.
In his youth, Vladimir received the profession of a television and radio mechanic, later he was engaged in construction and metalworking. It has positive characteristics from the place of residence and work.
In the early 2000s, Vladimir met a like-minded person, Galina. In 2003 they got married. These hospitable, sociable and sympathetic spouses have many friends. All of them have a hard time tolerating the unexpected, unfair arrest of Vladimir. In 2018, Vladimir and Galina celebrate their 15th anniversary of family life.
Case History
In May 2018, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against Vladimir Kochnev, Vladislav Kolbanov, Pavel Lekontsev, Sergey Logunov and Nikolay Zhugin. The believers from Orenburg were accused of organizing and financing the activity of an extremist organization and participating in it. This was because of meetings with friends in a café. After their homes were searched, three men were released under recognizance agreements, and two were detained. Kochnev spent 76 days in pretrial detention and 72 days under house arrest, while Kolbanov spent 149 days under house arrest. In December 2019, the case went to court, but a month later it was returned to the prosecutor’s office due to the vague nature of the charges. The retrial of the case by another judge began in February 2021. The charge is based on the testimony of the undercover agent V. Yudin. In August 2023, the judge gave the believers suspended sentences: Logunov and Zhugin — 2.5 years, Kochnev — 2 years and 8 months, Lekontsev — 3 years, and Kolbanov — 3.5 years. The court of appeal upheld the verdict.
