Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Two Women from Crimea Charged for Extremism for Their Faith. Case Initiated Against Them and Both Under House Arrest

Crimea

On December 12, 2025, two women practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses were detained in Saky, Crimea. Their homes were searched; a criminal case was initiated. Yelena Ivashina, 50, and Olga Podlesnaya, 54, were placed under house arrest by the Kievskiy District Court of the city of Simferopol.

Their case has been separated from Voronchikhin's case, which is currently being heard in the Simferopolskiy District Court. According to available information, Ivashina has already been charged with financing the activity of an extremist organization.

Now, 33 more Jehovah's Witnesses from Crimea have been prosecuted. Twelve of them are serving sentences in penal colonies, one in prison, and another in forced labor.

The Case of Podlesnaya and Ivashina in Simferopol

Case History
In late November 2025, the investigative authorities in Simferopol initiated a criminal case against two residents of Crimea — Yelena Ivashina and Olga Podlesnaya. In December, their homes were searched, after which they were interrogated and placed in a temporary detention facility. The believers are suspected of financing the activities of an extremist organization. The court placed them under house arrest.
Timeline

Persons in case

Ivashina
Yelena
Podlesnaya
Olga

Criminal case

Region:
Crimea
Locality:
Simferopol
Court case number:
12502350020000211
Current case stage:
preliminary investigation
Investigating:
First Investigative Division of the Directorate for Investigating Particularly Important Cases of the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.3 (1)
Case History
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