Updated: April 29, 2024
Name: Sergeyev Oleg Sergeyevich
Date of Birth: January 5, 1984
Current status: Defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: Recognizance agreement

Biography

In November 2021, Oleg Sergeyev became a target of law enforcement officers. Two years earlier, his father, Sergey, had also been persecuted. The only reason for these unpleasant events is faith in Jehovah God.

Oleg was born in January 1984 in Vladivostok. When Oleg was still a child, his parents began to study the Holy Scriptures and instill biblical values in him and his younger sister. Later, Oleg decided to understand the religious teachings himself. A thorough study of the Bible subsequently prompted him to embark on the Christian path.

In his youth, Oleg was fond of fishing and car maintenance. After school, he studied in Lesozavodsk (Primorye Territory) as a technician of thermal and power plants and networks. Oleg serviced security systems, worked at various enterprises in the energy industry, and since 2016 he has been working as an electrician for the repair of substations.

Oleg had known his wife Anastasiya since his school years—the last two years of study they sat at the same desk. Anastasiya, like Oleg, loved Christian values since youth. In 2010, the young people got married. Oleg likes to listen to guitar melodies, he has plans to master this musical instrument. Anastasiya loved to embroider and make handicrafts with her children. Unfortunately, at the end of 2023, Anastasiya died in an accident, and three young children were left in the care of their father.

The criminal prosecution had a negative impact on the life of the Sergeyev family. Oleg says: "Because of the uncertainty, I live constantly in anticipation of the next stress." Relatives and friends of the Sergeyevs are perplexed why peaceful people are persecuted only for their religion.

Case History

In July 2021, Yuriy Ponomarenko’s house in Luchegorsk was searched. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against him on suspicion of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. In November of the same year, as part of the Ponomarenko case, a new search was carried out - in the home of Oleg Sergeyev. He was charged under the same article. In March 2022, two more defendants appeared in the case. Andrey Lyakhov and Nikolay Dikhtyar were charged with participation in the activities of an extremist organization. In June 2022, a criminal case against the believers went to court. In December 2023, the state prosecutor requested suspended sentences of two to four years for the believers, yet in January 2024, the judge decided to resume the judicial investigation into the case. After three months of hearings, the prosecutor requested real sentences for the believers — from two to six years in a general regime colony.