Name: Shubnikov Aleksey Sergeyevich
Date of Birth: June 23, 1982
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions

Biography

Aleksey Shubnikov is a group I disabled person who has been confined to a wheelchair since the age of 16. However, this did not prevent law enforcement officers from suspecting him of extremism and starting a criminal case.

Aleksey was born in June 1982 in Nizhnevartovsk, Tyumen region. He has a younger brother and sister. For some time, the family lived in the city of Langepas (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area), and in the early 2000s they moved to the Krasnodar Territory and settled in the village of Vyselki.

As a child, Aleksey was an active child. He loved skiing, went to a wood carving circle, often went to nature with his parents, went fishing, went to the forest for berries and mushrooms. The family spent the whole summer in the country house. But then a tragedy happened: the young man fell from a tree and received a serious spinal injury. This influenced the rest of his life. Yet, despite his physical limitations, he was able to earn a degree in accounting and economics. Being on disability, Aleksey does not work. He lives with his parents and still loves to fish, to be in nature, to discover new places.

In the mid-2000s, Aleksey began his acquaintance with biblical teachings. He recalls: “I was always worried about the questions: what happens to a person when he dies? Will we ever see our dead loved ones? When I learned that soon everyone would be healthy, that I would be able to run again, it affected me greatly. Before, I didn’t even hope to walk again, I thought that my life was over and had no meaning. Aleksey was impressed by the logical and simple answers from the Bible to his questions, and he was also touched by the friendliness and attention paid to him by other Christians. In 2008, Aleksey himself decided to embark on the Christian path.

The criminal prosecution made life difficult for Aleksey. He says: “For the first days after the search, I was in constant tension, I had problems sleeping, and lost my appetite. After a while, I began to come to my senses, there was inner peace. But still, every call at the door or on the phone causes tension. Due to the restrictions imposed by the court, the already difficult life of Aleksey became even more difficult. He can't communicate with his friends either in person or by phone.

Aleksey’s relatives are worried about him. The father's health has deteriorated, the mother worries about the future of her son. He, that Aleksey, who needs constant care, can go to jail.

Case History

In February 2022, more than 30 searches took place in the Kuban. Five believers from the village of Vyselki — Vitaliy Ushakov, Yevgeny Bochko, Valery Vechkaev, pensioner Vladimir Kolesnikov and disabled person of group I Alexei Shubnikov, confined to a wheelchair from his youth — became defendants in a criminal case. The Investigative Committee accused the believers of organizing the activities of an extremist community. In reality, the believers participated in peaceful worship services that were not prohibited by law. Ushakov was placed in a pre-trial detention center, where he spent almost 7 months, after which he was placed under house arrest for 1 month, and then under a ban on certain actions. Bochko, Vechkayev, Kolesnikov and Shubnikov were banned from certain actions. In June 2023, the case went to the district court.