Updated: April 18, 2024
Name: Atrуakhin Vladimir Andreyevich
Date of Birth: September 29, 1987
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 193 day in a pre-trial detention, 458 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years of imprisonment in a penal colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of a public religious organization for a period of 4 years, with restriction of liberty for 1 year
Currently held in: Penal Colony No. 3 in the Republic of Mari El
Address for correspondence: Atrуakhin, Vladimir Andreyevich, born 1987, IK No. 3 in the Republic of Mari El, ul. Medvedevo, 1, pos. Medvedevo, Medvedevo r-n, Republic of Mari El, Russia, 425200

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail.

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

In 2019, several residents of Saransk, including Vladimir Atryakhin, were prosecuted for their faith. Law enforcers considered the conversations about the Bible to be the organization of the activities of an extremist organization.

Vladimir was born in 1987 in the village of Rozhdestveno (Mordovia). He and his younger brother were brought up in a single-parent family. Since childhood, Vladimir loves sports, enjoys playing football, volleyball, hockey, intellectual games with friends. Even during his school years, he became deeply interested in the Bible and fell in love with this book.

Vladimir is a programmer by profession, works as a system administrator for two companies, and also edits a scientific journal at Mordovia State University. He is respected by his neighbors - he heads the house committee in the house in which he lives.

In 2009, Vladimir married Mariya, the couple have two small children who were 7 months and 2 years old at the time of their arrest.

Vladimir's relatives were shocked by his criminal prosecution. Those of them who previously disapproved of Vladimir's religious views are now trying to help him in any way they can.

Case History

In February 2019, in Saransk, the FSB opened a criminal case against three believers on suspicion of extremism. After mass searches, Vladimir Atryakhin, the father of two young children, as well as Alexander Shevchuk and Georgy Nikulin ended up in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent from 2 to 5 months. Later, 3 more defendants appeared in the case - Alexander Korolev, Elena Nikulina and Denis Antonov. The case went to court in May 2021. The defense managed to show the court several times that the declassified witness Vlasov was giving false testimony. In August 2022, the believers were convicted: Vladimir Atryakhin was sentenced to 6 years, Georgy and Yelena Nikulin — 4 years and 2 months each, and Aleksandr Shevchuk, Aleksandr Korolev and Denis Antonov — 2 years in prison. The appeal upheld the verdict. In November 2023, Aleksandr Shevchuk was released from the colony.