Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Again Searches in Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Two Under House Arrest

Krasnoyarsk Territory

On November 20, 2025, at 7 a.m., law enforcement officers carried out searches at four addresses of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Kansk. Afterward five believers were taken for interrogation. One man and one woman were placed under house arrest with tracking bracelets on their legs, while another woman was ordered not to leave her home at night.

Active religious prosecution in the Krasnoyarsk Territory began in 2018, shortly after the organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia had been liquidated. Since then, at least 125 searches have taken place there. The last one — in September this year. Criminal cases against a total of 33 people from this region have been initiated; 5 are serving sentences in penal colonies.

The Case of Sorokin and Others in Kansk

Case History
In November 2025, the Investigative Committee in Kansk initiated a criminal case against three believers — Andrey Sorokin, Yelena Kamenskaya, and Yelena Grosheva. The reason was a report from a woman who pretended to be interested in the Bible. Searches of the homes of the believers were conducted. Sorokin, Kamenskaya, and Grosheva were detained; afterward, Andrey was placed under house arrest, and the women were placed under a ban on certain actions. In December, all three defendants in the case were added to the Rosfinmonitoring list. In March 2026, another defendant was added to the criminal case—Aleksey Pislyakov, and Sorokin were transferred to a ban on certain actions. In August 2026, Andrey Sorokin died in a Krasnoyarsk hospital from pancreatic cancer.
Timeline

Persons in case

Pislyakov
Aleksey
Grosheva
Yelena
Kamenskaya
Yelena
Sorokin
Andrey

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnoyarsk Territory
Locality:
Kansk
Suspected of:
“held educational discussions”, “went door-to-door in the city of Kansk, conducting explanatory work and thereby attracting new followers” (from the decision to initiate the criminal case)
Court case number:
12502040027000131
Initiated:
November 20, 2025
Current case stage:
preliminary investigation
Investigating:
Uyarskiy Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Case History
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