Sixth Prison Term in a Week. Jehovah’s Witness in Crimea Given 6 Years in Penal Colony for His Faith

Vitaliy Burik, 54, one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kerch and father of a disabled daughter, heard the guilty verdict on February 19, 2026. The decision was issued by Aleksandr Kovalev, judge of the Kerch City Court. A few days earlier, similar harsh sentences were handed down to believers in Dmitrov, Tver and Birobidzhan.

The day before, the court went through the stages of interrogation of the defendant, closing arguments and final statement in one session. The swift completion of the trial prevented the defense from presenting its evidence. The judge gave Vitaliy only 15 minutes to prepare for his final statement. After the verdict was announced, he was taken into custody.

In the fall of 2024, a criminal case was initiated against Vitaliy. It was followed by a search, detention and house arrest. Vitaliy recalls: "House arrest for me is also an arrest for the whole family. The restrictions especially affected our 'sunny' girl. Our cycling tours on a special bicycle made with her needs in mind, doing sports in the fresh air, by the sea, supported her physically and emotionally." Vitaliy had to travel 200 kilometers for interrogations, and later to court hearings.

"My family is a great comfort and support for me," he continued, "especially my youngest daughter. She always finds words of encouragement for everyone." Vitaliy is also grateful to his friends for their care for his family: while he was under house arrest, they brought his wife and daughter food, gave flowers and cards, and he himself was given an exercise bike.

The charge was based on the written testimony of two secret witnesses, in which they stated that Burik continued the activity of the liquidated legal entity of Jehovah's Witnesses. However, at the trial, both admitted that they had stopped attending meetings for worship of the Kerch community back in 2017 and had not met with the defendant since then. When the prosecutor read out their affidavits, it became evident that some parts of the text matched even down to identical mistakes.

In Crimea, 35 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted for their religious views. Of these, 14 received long terms in penal colonies, and 1 was recently released, having served his sentence in full. "I am strengthened and encouraged by the examples of brothers and sisters from Crimea," Vitaliy said. "In fact we are on this journey together — they are a few steps ahead of me."