Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Second Search at the Home of a Family of Jehovah's Witnesses in Mayna. Father of Three Arrested

Khakassia

On September 29, 2026, FSB officers conducted a search at the home of Konstantin Flegentov, 49, father of three minor children. The believer was detained and the next day was placed in pretrial detention by court ruling.

At around 11:00 a.m., two law enforcement officers and testifying witnesses entered Konstantin's home without knocking. When Flegentov asked them to explain what was happening, he was handcuffed. The law enforcement officers seized phones and Bibles belonging to Konstantin and his wife.

The search was initiated by Vladislav Kotenko, investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. A year earlier, he also had initiated a criminal case against Jehovah's Witnesses in Mayna. This was followed by a wave of searches that also affected the Flegentov family.

The Case of Bagin and Others in Mayna

Case History
The homes of approximately 25 families of Jehovah’s Witnesses in several locations in Khakassia were searched and inspected in September 2025. A criminal case was initiated against Viktor Timoshchenko, Aleksandr Gorev and Yevgeniy Bagin under an article for extremism. The men were taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee in Abakan, where they were detained and later placed in a pretrial detention center. The believers were placed under house arrest 3.5 months later. After new searches and detentions in January 2026, three more men ended up in the pretrial detention center: Oleg Zhukov, Vyacheslav Sharov and Aleksey Gorokhov. Almost 5 months later, they too were transferred to house arrest. In July 2026, the court replaced house arrest with a recognizance agreement for all six. In the same month, the case went to court.
Timeline

Persons in case

Gorokhov
Aleksey
Sharov
Vyacheslav
Zhukov
Oleg
Bagin
Yevgeniy
Gorev
Aleksandr
Timoshchenko
Viktor

Criminal case

Region:
Khakassia
Locality:
Mayna
Court case number:
12502950010000026
Initiated:
September 23, 2025
Current case stage:
trial in court of first instance
Investigating:
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)
Court case number:
1-149/2026
Court of First Instance:
Sayanogorsk City Court
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Mariya Avdonina
Case History
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