Name: Logunov Sergey Viktorovich
Date of Birth: November 28, 1962
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 2 years 6 months of imprisonment, with restriction of liberty for a term of 8 months, punishment in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 2 years

Biography

On May 14, 2018, a criminal case was opened in Orenburg under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against Sergey Logunov. For reading the Bible with friends, he is charged with "participation in the activities of an extremist organization." What is really known about this supposedly dangerous criminal?

Sergey was born in 1962 in Orenburg and has lived in this city all his life. As a child, his mother worked hard to support the family. After school, Sergey received the specialty of a milling machine, but after serving in the army he acquired the profession of a photographer. I worked on it for several years, but in the mid-1990s it became difficult to find orders. Sergey began to take on any job, and in recent years he has been working as a gardener in an oncological hospital. However, he continues to take pictures for himself and friends with pleasure, and plays the guitar in his free time.

In the early 1990s, Sergey immersed himself in reading the New Testament, and he was impressed by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. In 1994 he married Larisa. It so happened that her brother is now also being persecuted for his faith. The parents of Sergey and Larisa, although they do not share their religious views, are very worried about their persecuted loved ones.

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.