Updated: March 18, 2024
Name: Krutyakova Zinaida Valentinovna
Date of Birth: May 6, 1958
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 598 day Under house arrest
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for 2 years 3 months, with restriction of liberty for a period of 6 months, the sentence in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period for 2 years

Biography

In October 2019, Zinaida Krutyakova, following her husband, became a defendant in a criminal case on extremism because of a conversation with a man who pretended to be interested in the Bible. More than a year later, the court found the believers guilty, and sentenced Zinaida to 2 years and 3 months of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 2 years. The court sentenced her husband Yuriy to 6 years of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 5 years.

Zinaida was born in 1958 in the village of Nizhnedevitsk, Voronezh Region. She has an elder sister. Together they graduated from the Voronezh Civil Engineering Institute with a degree in technologist for the production of ceramics and refractories.

Zinaida moved to Chekhov with her first husband, where she worked for more than thirty years at the city-forming enterprise. She was in charge of the factory laboratory. He is now retired.

Zinaida single-handedly raised her daughter Irina, trying to instill in her high standards of morality. She worked hard to give her daughter a good education. In 2012 she got married for the second time. She loves classical and folk music, walks in the woods, and enjoys preparing delicious meals for loved ones.

Zinaida was always concerned about why there was so much injustice in the world, and the biblical idea that God would bring order to the earth immediately resonated in her heart. Because of her Christian beliefs, a criminal case was initiated against her. It is difficult for Zinaida's family and friends to understand why peace-loving people like her are being persecuted.

Case History

The criminal case initiated in September 2019 against Chekhov residents Yuri and Zinaida Krutyakov, Konstantin Zherebtsov and Vitaly Nikiforov was based on the testimony of an FSB officer who pretended to be interested in the Bible. On the night of October 3, 2019, security forces raided the believers’ homes with searches. Zherebtsov, Nikiforov and Krutyakova were placed under house arrest. Later, Yuriy was taken to the pre-trial detention center. There he stayed for 445 days; His eyesight deteriorated sharply. In January 2021, hearings began in the Chekhov City Court of the Moscow Region. The prosecutor requested a suspended sentence of 2 to 6 years for the four defendants. On May 24, Judge Iryna Pantela gave the believers a suspended sentence: Yuriy — 6 years, Zinaida — 2 years and 3 months, Konstantin — 2 years and 2 months, Vitaliy — 2 years. All were also given various probationary periods. On July 20, 2021, the Moscow Regional Court upheld the verdict, and on January 13, 2022, the cassation court did not satisfy the believers’ appeal.