Updated: May 1, 2024
Name: Artemov Oleg Igorevich
Date of Birth: July 31, 1995
Current status: Suspect
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2), 282.3 (1)
Current restrictions: Recognizance agreement

Biography

In February 2024, Oleg Artemov from Chelyabinsk was suspected of committing a crime under two extremist articles for discussing the Bible with friends via video link.

Oleg was born in July 1995 in the village of Kanashevo, Chelyabinsk Region, and has lived in Chelyabinsk all his life. He has an elder brother. Their father works as a boiler room operator, and their mother is retired. As a child, Oleg loved to play football with friends, as well as invent, shoot and edit humorous sketches.

After school, Oleg worked as a mechanic in a bowling center. And after 5 years he began to repair apartments. He periodically attends various events in the field of construction, such as seminars, master classes and festivals of masters in different cities of Russia.

In his free time, Oleg plays volleyball, football, skates. In summer, he likes to relax on the Ural lakes. He also likes to organize big holidays and parties for friends from different cities, as well as shoot humorous videos. "I can't live without humor and puns," says Oleg.

From early childhood, his mother instilled in Oleg a love for the Bible. The young man himself deeply studied this book to be convinced of its value. He was impressed by her inner consistency, archaeological and historical accuracy, and practical wisdom. In 2012, Oleg decided to take the Christian path.

The criminal prosecution disrupted the young man's plans to expand his professional activities. He says: "I started recording my training video course on painting. But since the persecution can intensify at any moment, I have to abandon these long-term plans.

Case History

At the end of February 2024, the investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Aleksandr Chepenko, opened two criminal cases at once against another resident of Chelyabinsk, Oleg Artemov. The believer was suspected of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing due to the fact that he participated in worship services, and also paid for a video conferencing application. Artyomov’s phone and bank cards were seized, and he himself was placed under recognizance agreemnet.