Biography
Vitaliy was born in 1979 in the city of Pavlodar (Kazakhstan). As a child, he loved to assemble models of airplanes, draw, and sculpt from plasticine. In 2007, Vitaliy graduated from Voronezh State Technical University with a degree in electrical engineering. Before his arrest, he worked in the field of repair and decoration of premises.
Parents from a young age instilled in Vitaliy respect for the Bible. The love and unity he felt among Christians helped the young man to become a convinced Christian.
In 2016, Vitaliy married Aleksandra, a girl who shared his beliefs. She works as a seamstress, is fond of needlework and household management. In his spare time, Vitaliy takes up photography. Together the couple love to travel, especially in the mountains.
Despite the stress of criminal prosecution and severe verdict—6 years in a penal colony—Vitaliy and Aleksandra try to maintain a positive attitude.
Case History
On a single day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in seven localities of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported being tortured by law enforcement officers. The Investigative Committee charged 10 men (then aged 24 to 56) with organizing extremist activity and sent them to pretrial detention, where most remained for nearly 5 months. The events in Voronezh sparked widespread public outcry: EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and dismay over what had happened. The believers deny any guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their faith in accordance with their constitutional rights. The trial began in December 2021. Nearly 4 years later, the believers were given various punishments — ranging from a 6-year suspended sentence to 7 years in a penal colony.
