Case History
In October 2025, employees of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against residents of the city of Uyar, Viktor Kononov and Aflatun Safarov. Searches of their homes were conducted, after which the court remanded the elderly men in custody. In February 2026, Sergey Soroka, Aleksandr and Zakhar Vakarev, and Ivan Starikov were detained; Ivan Starikov was placed in a pretrial detention center. The investigation interpreted the holding of peaceful meetings for worship as organizing the activity of an extremist organization and participating in it. Later, the court decided to transfer Ivan Starikov and Aflatun Safarov to house arrest, and in September 2026 they were put under ban on certain actions.