Elena Nikulina Released from Mordovian Penal Colony. Her Husband has Also Completed his Sentence

On August 11, 2026, Elena Nikulina was released from prison. The 57-year-old believer from Saransk spent more than 3 years in a penal colony for talking about the Bible, which the investigation classed as participating in extremist activity.

Elena has been held in the women's penal colony in the village of Yavas since March 2023. Before that she was in a pretrial detention center for about 5 months. The first months in the penal colony were the most difficult for Elena. Several times she lost consciousness during the lineup; within a year she lost 30 kg. She was hospitalized with angina pectoris, exhaustion and dehydration. After that, Nikulina underwent planned treatment in the hospital once a year.

Elena is a professional seamstress. In the penal colony they valued her for her responsible attitude. Her responsibilities included checking the quality of tailoring, correcting mistakes, as well as teaching others how to sew on professional equipment. There was a period when shifts lasted 12 hours with one day off every two weeks. Due to the heavy workload, Elena's eyesight worsened greatly and her hand often became numb.

According to Elena, she found the atmosphere of rudeness, shouting and humiliation very upsetting. "When you’ve spent many years around people who understand you, feel for you, and love you, and then you suddenly end up in such an environment, it’s frightening. Without Jehovah you couldn’t survive," she recalls. Despite all this, Elena tried to help others in everyday matters, and also supported those who were not not cared for by relatives and friends. "Treat others the way you would like them to treat you — these words stuck with me throughout the 3.5 years," said Nikulina.

Her husband Georgiy, convicted in the same case, was released in December 2025. But he still could not visit Elena in the penal colony due to restrictions placed by the court. The prosecution of the couple has been ongoing since February 2019. As part of their case four other believers have been convicted; one of them, Vladimir Atryakhin, remains in prison until March 2028.