Two Jehovah’s Witnesses in Altai Sentenced to Long Prison Terms

On May 18, 2026, the Slavgorod City Court of Altai Territory announced its verdict against two local believers. Judge Olga Filippova sentenced Alik Yeliseyev and Sergey Barsukov to six years each in a general-regime penal colony. The men were taken into custody in the courtroom and intend to appeal the verdict.

Sergey Barsukov, 63, has been married for about 30 years and has been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for nearly as long. He works as a locksmith at a sports complex and is respected by both management and coworkers. "I have done no harm to anyone—neither to people nor to the state," he said in his final statement. Barsukov had moved closer to his mother to care for her. His relatives worry about how this situation will affect her already fragile health.

Alik Yeliseyev, 35, is a third-generation Jehovah's Witness. From his teenage years he dreamed of starting his own business; today he runs a small key-cutting shop. Together with his wife, Alik is raising their 10-year-old son. After the search, the boy told his mother: "Mom, don't worry. They can take our equipment and laptops, but they can't take away our faith." The persecution has robbed the family of a sense of safety: "We started sleeping poorly... any knock or rustle—and we're already awake."

A search of the Yeliseyevs' home took place in February 2025. As officers entered the house, they knocked the man to the floor. Threats were made during the search. Ten months later, Barsukov and Eliseev were charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization.

As in many other trials, the prosecution relied on a secret witness—this time a certain Panchenko. However, the anonymous witness said nothing that would indicate any real crimes by Yeliseyev or Barsukov: worship services were held via videoconference, and participants read and discussed the Bible. According to those who attended the hearings, religious studies expert Mirra Kashchaeva tried to persuade the court that Jehovah's Witnesses' religious services are banned and that even words such as "thank you" and "please" spoken by the defendants could "indicate leadership of the congregation's activities."

In the Altai Territory, 12 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted for their faith, three of them are serving their sentences in penal colonies.