In Vyselki, Woman, 67, Convicted for Her Faith. She Was Given a 2-year Suspended Sentence

On November 19, 2025, in the Krasnodar Territory, the trial of Yelena Gadrshina concluded. The court found her guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization. Judge Ruslan Teplukhin gave the elderly woman a 2-year suspended sentence for peacefully practicing her faith.

Yelena Gadrshina has been married for 45 years and they have an adult daughter. She worked as an accountant for many years. She was among the believers whose homes were searched in February 2022 because of her beliefs. A criminal case was initiated against her, and her bank accounts were frozen. For nearly 2 years, she had to defend her good name in court.

During the hearings, lawyers repeatedly pointed out serious violations committed by the investigation. For example, the interrogation protocol of a secret witness, prepared by the investigator, turned out to be identical (down to the mistakes) to a document from another case. The investigator somehow managed to review 63 hours of video footage and produce 300 pages of transcripts in just three hours. One expert, a psychologist, admitted she was unsure whether her signature on the conclusion was genuine; the defense found 155 citation errors in that conclusion. Another expert, a linguist, referred to non-existent transcripts. The contracts with these experts for their work were lost.

Yelena is grateful for the support of friends and others who care: "Fellow believers come from different cities to support me during the hearings. Those who cannot attend send messages with words of encouragement and assurances that they are fervently praying for me."

Yelena Gadrshina became one of seven women sentenced as a result of the mass prosecution of believers in Vyselki.